The Wrong Anna
by FiveFootTwo
Summary: A work of pure fiction. Skylar is dating the wrong Anna. What will the right Anna do to win his heart? Chapter 19 is rated M. Chapter 21 now up!
1. Impressions

**A/N:** This is a work of complete fiction, based on absolutely nothing real, minus the names of the characters and the fact that two of them are dating in real life. The idea for this simply wouldn't leave my mind, so I'm writing it. If there's interest, I'll keep going. Let me know.

When she first meets him during his audition to see if they have chemistry together, he doesn't leave much of an impression on her.

He asks if he can touch her while they're reading their lines, "You know, because I'm supposed to be madly in love with you," he quips, a twinkle in his eyes, and she manages a smile.

Anna Kendrick takes acting seriously, and she's very passionate about the roles she plays. She finds that they have natural chemistry on screen together, and it's even more obvious when she actually sees the finished movie for the first time. She normally finds it hard to fake loving someone as an actor, since how charming can one line be after a guy has said it to you twenty times in a row? But with him, it's easier somehow.

He tries mercilessly to get her to laugh in between takes, acting goofy and making dorky jokes just to get her to crack a smile. He's sometimes very much like the character he's playing.

She's still with Edgar while they're filming. Edgar is older than her by a bit, while this guy is a few years younger. She knows he's from Broadway, just like she is. His voice is amazing; the kind of voice that you hear and just know it's coming from someone with real, natural talent. And while she has to work harder at her singing, he makes it seem easy.

Along with the rest of the cast, they endure a month long a cappella camp together to train for the film, and then film in the fall of 2011. The movie is set to come on in the Fall of 2012. Her career is just taking off, with an Academy Award nomination for her role in Up in the Air, and the critical acclaim 50/50 is getting. It's a crazy time in her life, and she attributes her rising fame to the feelings of uncertainty and unrest she can't seem to shake.

When he first meets her, he's nervous as hell. He's seen her in a few movies, and knows about her awards and accolades. She's far more famous and well known than he is, taking Broadway on at the age of 12. He's impressed by her before they even lay eyes on each other.

When they ask him back after his initial audition to read with her, the butterflies won't leave his stomach. He knows if he gets the role it could launch his career. She's shorter than he imagined, so unbelievably cute and petite. She keeps a very professional demeanor while they read together, and she switches in and out of character every time someone yells "action!" She's easy going, and kind, and makes him feel comfortable right away.

He knows she has a long time boyfriend, but he's a naturally flirty guy, and he goes with it. She smiles and laughs at his jokes, and his heart swells with pride.

When he first hears her sing in person, he's amazed at how pure and innocent her voice sounds, almost as if she sings without confidence. In fact, she never really seems self-assured, always putting herself down, saying she's not talented or pretty. They kind of play down her looks a bit for the movie, trying to make her seem dark and mysterious, but it doesn't conceal the fact that she's gorgeous. And he notices. He'd be a fool not to.

She first realizes that there's something going on between him and Anna Camp about halfway through filming. She thought Skylar was just a natural ladies man and didn't pay any attention to it in the beginning, but it soon becomes impossible to ignore.

"Hey, isn't Camp married?" she asks Brittany Snow one day. The Anna's are called by their last names on set because there are two of them.

"Yeah, since 2010," Brittany answers.

Anna tells herself that she's only bothered by Skylar and Camp's flirting because Camp is married. And let's face it, that's just wrong. There's also an age difference between them. Glass houses, she knows, since Edgar is eleven years her senior, but in this moment that isn't a factor.

Every day on set he turns on the charm for their scenes together, and it's electric. She almost feels like Beca Mitchell when the film wraps. And she has to admit, Skylar can kiss. That was a scene for which she didn't mind doing multiple takes.

She tells herself she's just getting confused with her character, and that when the movie is over things will go back to normal.

Filming ends and the cast goes their separate ways. She stays in touch with some of them through the occasional text message or tweet, but her schedule is crazy, and it's hard to keep track. Before she knows it, Pitch Perfect is premiering, and they're thrown back together again.

He looks handsome as always at the premiere, and everyone is really excited about how well the film turned out and how people seem to like it.

She never expected it to get as popular as it did.

More people are recognizing her, younger people. She has more Twitter followers than ever. And when they ask her to record a music video for Cups, she's in shock.

She and Edgar break up in early Spring, and soon after that she hears rumors about the sequel. Skylar and Rebel say they've been approached, and not long after, so is she. "I need time to think about it," she says to her agent.

And then the news reaches her, Skylar and Camp are dating. Camp apparently divorced her husband and quickly started going with Skylar. And for some reason, this irks her to no end.

She immerses herself in work, filming one movie after the next, finally ending up in London to film Into the Woods. She's playing Cinderella, and it is hard work. It's a singing role, and she's thrilled with the opportunity. She's relieved to be too busy to make it to the MTV Movie Awards and the Teen Choice Awards, so she doesn't have to see them together.

She hears that Skylar's only going to do the movie if Camp is in it, and the thought makes her sick. What about her? Isn't she the main character? Isn't she supposed to be the one he's in love with? In the movie, she corrects herself mentally.

When her agent calls in the fall of 2013 and asks her, "So are you going to do the sequel?" she hesitates. Her agent adds, "They're willing to throw a bunch of money at you if you'll agree."

"It's not about the money," Anna says, and it's the truth.

She doesn't know if she can handle seeing them together.


	2. Decisions

He thinks his girlfriend looks a bit ridiculous for the Teen Choice Awards, but instead he tells her she looks beautiful. Kendrick isn't there, of course. He's gotten used to her not making appearances at these things, since she's been so busy with her filming schedule. He can't help but be a bit jealous of her success, even though he knows it's well deserved. He has a starring role in a new TV show to look forward to, and things are taking off for him because of the success of the movie. He knows he should thank Kendrick when he accepts his award, but she isn't there and Camp is. Plus, he's going home with Camp and doesn't want her to be mad at him.

"Have you heard anything new about the sequel?" he asks Camp one evening.

"No," she replies, "Only rumors that Demi Lovato might be in it. And Rebel said something about filming in London."

"Maybe when Kendrick comes back from London she'll sign on too," he comments, turning his attention back to the television screen in front of them.

"I don't know if she will or not," Camp grumbles, "Does it really matter?"

"Yes, I think it does. Have you heard how successful Cups is? And how many fans want to see how Jesse and Beca's story ends? I think the public will be upset if she isn't in the movie," he says.

"Whatever," she says, "They've recast plenty of sequels that did just fine at the box office. Besides, Jesse could go for Aubrey this time," she winks, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"He'd never go for her," Skylar answers abruptly, "She's not his type, at all. And she's annoying and stuck up."

Camp narrows her eyes at him, "She's just misunderstood," she says quietly.

"I really want to read the screenplay, but I guess Kay can't write it until she knows who's going to be in the movie," he speculates.

"She could always just say that Beca went off to Los Angeles like she planned from the beginning, leaving Jesse to fall for another girl. Maybe Demi's character!" Camp smiles.

"No!" Skylar interrupts her, "Beca is Jesse's soul mate. That's the way the first movie ended. To change that would betray his character. I'm not sure I'd even want to be in the movie if Kendrick doesn't do it. Only she can play Beca."

Camp shakes her head, clearly annoyed, "Then you better hope she signs on."

Anna Kendrick returns home to Los Angeles after Into the Woods wraps later that year. Her agent persists, telling her to make a decision about Pitch Perfect 2, because she's holding up the whole process, but Anna can't seem to make up her mind.

"I'd like to read the screenplay before I commit," she tells her agent.

"There isn't one," her agent replies, "They're waiting to see if they're writing Beca Mitchell in or out. Do you expect them to have two versions of it?"

"I'll talk to Kay," Anna says.

She and Kay Cannon had become friends when she was originally cast as Beca. She calls Kay on the phone later that day.

"Hey," she tells her friend, "Sorry I'm holding up the show here."

"What?" Kay teases her, "Are you too big for my little movie now?"

"No, no, it's not that," Anna hesitates, "I was just curious as to what the storyline was going to be before I commit. You know I like to stay true to character in the things I do."

"Yeah," Kay answers, "And I admire you for that. Well, I admit I was waiting to see if you'd be in it before I wrote anything final. I mean if you're in it, I'll obviously continue Beca and Jesse's romance, and there will be lots of singing, and Rebel will be hilarious."

"Well that's a given," Anna laughs. "So I'll be doing a lot of scenes with Skylar then?"

"Yes, but you guys got on great right?" Kay asks.

"Yeah, we did. But I haven't talked to him since. Is Camp going to play Aubrey again?" Anna wonders.

"Yes, the producers say the fans want to see Aubrey and Chloe back again, so we've approached Camp and Brittany."

Anna can't stop the sigh that escapes her lips, "Won't that be awkward? Filming love scenes with Skylar while his girlfriend is watching?"

There's a long pause on Kay's end of the line as she processes this, "Awkward for who? You? It's just acting, Anna. You're professionals."

"Right," Anna says, with little enthusiasm.

"I'm not going to beg you, but please?" Kay sounds almost desperate, "The fans will be pissed if you don't do it. Not to lay on the guilt here or pat myself on the back, but I know it opened doors for you. Just think about it, ok?"

"I will, thanks Kay," Anna says, hanging up the phone. Kay is right, she's supposed to be a professional, and it's just acting. She needs to separate the character of Jesse Swanson from the man that is Skylar Astin. Besides, she and Camp had been friendly with each other, and she doesn't want to cause a problem.

Now if she could only convince herself.

It's sheer coincidence that he happens to run into her in a random coffee shop in L.A. She's sitting with Olivia Wilde, a good friend of hers, sipping her drink when he enters the shop and spots her. She doesn't notice him at first, as she and Olivia laugh over someone one of them just said, and he notices her smile. And again he can't help thinking she's beautiful. He's staring at her from across the room when she turns and looks directly at him, giving him a small wave hello. He walks over to their table.

"Hey," he says, smiling at Anna and giving a polite nod to Olivia. "Back from London?"

Her face gives away her surprise at him knowing where she's been the last few months, "Yeah," she responds, "It was amazing there. I'm hoping to get to film there again soon."

"I hear we might be filming the sequel there, at least in part," he replies, looking directly into her eyes. He leans on the table, moving closer to her, "What do you say, Becs? Care to join me?"

Her jaw drops slightly and it doesn't go unnoticed by him that her eyes flicker between his eyes and his lips for a split second before she composes herself and replies casually, "Perhaps. I haven't decided yet."

"Well, what's holding you back?" he smiles, dragging a chair over to her and sitting down, not paying a bit of attention to Olivia, who is intently watching this interaction.

"Um…well, I don't know if it's going to work with my schedule yet. That a cappella boot camp was pretty intense," she stumbles, internally cringing at her mention of the word 'camp'.

"Ah, right," he replies, "I can't forget you're in the big leagues now, and I'm just in lowly television. Won't you grace us with your presence, your highness?" he winks at her, flashing her his trademark smug smile, and she can't help but laugh.

"I'll think about it," she finally answers. _It's all I think about_, her subconscious whispers.

"Good," he says before adding, "Hey, give me your cell number."

"Why?" she questions.

"So I can harass you into changing your mind," he says matter-of-factly.

She gives it to him reluctantly and he stands to leave. He takes a few steps before turning around and saying, "Hey Kendrick!"

"What?" she replies.

"See you later weirdo!" And with that, he's gone.

Olivia turns to Anna, her eyebrows raised. "What the hell was that?"

"That was Skylar," she replies, "That's just how he is."

"You mean adorably sexy?" Olivia deadpans, "Must be hard to be him."

"Whatever," Anna answers, "It's not like it matters, he's with Anna Camp."

"Seriously?" Olivia shakes her head, "I do not see that working, at all. Besides, from the looks of what I just saw here, he's into you."

"Yeah right, he's like that with every girl," Anna replies.

"He didn't even look at me," Olivia points out.

"Now who's full of herself?" Anna teases, and Olivia rolls her eyes.

"I'm just saying, that there was no one else in the room that mattered to him other than you," Olivia clarifies.

"He just needs me to be in the movie," Anna says quietly.

"So do it," Olivia tells her friend. "So he's with Camp. But you'll be the one getting to kiss him a hundred times."

Her cellphone buzzes with an incoming text and she sees a message with a new number appear on her screen.

_Don't you forget about me._

Maybe it won't be so bad after all.


	3. Beginnings

He wasn't kidding when he said he'd annoy her until she agreed to be in the movie. It started with one text per day, and then increased. She didn't usually respond to him, not only because she was busy, but also since she didn't want things to be even more awkward than they already were. She wonders if Camp knows how often her boyfriend has been talking to her.

One day, the text comes that forces her to make up her mind.

_Please. It won't be the same without you. We need you._

She has to be in the movie. Her agent is right. If she's not, she'll disappoint not only Skylar and the rest of the cast, but also her fans. She doesn't want to do that.

_I need you_, he stops short of saying. His fingers are poised to type it when her reply appears on his screen.

_Ok, I'm in._

He's thrilled, and immediately dials Camp's number. "Kendrick's in!" he blurts excitedly when she answers the phone.

"How do you know?" Camp questions.

"She just texted me," he explains.

"Oh, I didn't know you were friendly with her," Camp replies.

"Well I ran into her a few weeks ago in a coffee shop, and told her I'd bother her until she agreed to sign on," he says.

"Why didn't you mention this before?" she wonders.

"I didn't think it was a big deal. It was just a few texts," he pauses, "I can't wait to read the screenplay!"

"Yeah, ok, I gotta go," Camp says hurriedly, and he notes the shift in her tone. Before he can reply, the line goes dead.

He sighs heavily before sitting down on the sofa. He was attracted to Camp at first because he thought she was pretty, and then after that they seemed to hit it off. Initially, she was a free spirit who could make him laugh, and he never thought he'd have a shot with someone like her. She was a much more experienced actress than him, and she was tall, thin, and blonde. The beginning of their relationship was so easy, and he loved the idea of being with her. The press had a field day over it, the headlines announcing their relationship read, "A Pitch Perfect Couple" and things like that.

Lately, he feels out of step with her. He figures it's due to the fact that they're both so busy, but deep inside he knows it's more than that. Camp came with baggage, she was married after all, and he guesses he was naïve to think it would be easy.

She sends the text and then just stares at her phone for a full minute. She knows if she calls her agent and the announcement is made, she's going to have an influx of tweets and texts and phone calls, and she just isn't in the mood for it right now. She's sure that Skylar will probably tell Camp, and the news will spread quickly after that through the cast. She doesn't want to answer questions about why it took her so long to decide. She's not even sure she knows why.

The next year passes in a blur, and Anna is so busy that she barely notices the passage of time. The movie is set to start filming in the fall of 2014 and be released in 2015, exactly three years from the first film. Once the screenplay arrives, she reads it in one sitting, eager to know how Beca Mitchell's story plays out in the end.

Beca and Jesse are college seniors, and after the Bellas and Trebles had both lost last year's National competition, they decide to join forces and become one group. The movie is really funny, and they'll be filming in a lot of different locations this time. Her heart starts to pound every time she reads in the script that Beca and Jesse kiss, or cuddle, or do anything romantic whatsoever. There are no sex scenes, thankfully, as this isn't an R-rated movie, but there is a scene where they're in bed together in a partial state of dress.

_This is going to be really awkward_, she thinks as she boards the plane to head to the first day on set.

He doesn't know why he's so nervous. It's the same people as the last movie. And his girlfriend of two years is here with him. But still he can't shake his nerves. The first few weeks on set are spent in a cappella boot camp. The cast needs to learn how to sing together again, and they spend many hours rehearsing the musical numbers and choreography so that they actually become a group. Kendrick is friendly to him as always, and he notices the way she always seems like somewhat of a tomboy, easily fitting in with the guys, her dry wit and humor constantly making them laugh. She's always being picked up or carried by one of them, and he sometimes makes himself available for the job. She's just so tiny.

Camp only has a small role, being that her character graduated after the last movie, but every chance she gets she's on set, watching from the sidelines. He loves playing the character Jesse Swanson, because the guy is so adorably dorky and charming, you can't help but like him. He has to admit he's enjoyed being the fantasy of so many women and teenage girls because of Jesse's role in the first movie, and he makes sure to turn on the charm whenever he's around Kendrick.

"I'm trying to stay true to character," he teases her, when in reality, it's only part of it. There's just something about Anna Kendrick that he can't ignore. At least for now he can hide behind his character.

She's relieved that they start with boot camp, because it throws her in the midst of all this action, and she doesn't have to spend any alone time with Skylar, yet. Camp is always watching, and it makes her even more uncomfortable. The woman only has a cameo in the movie, so why is she here?

Of course Camp's there when she starts rehearsing her scenes with Skylar. They're only running their lines while Jason Moore tells them where to stand and how to look for each shot. The tone of her character has completely changed from the first film. This Beca Mitchell is in love, she's not hiding behind her fear and her pain. Sure, she's a little rough on the edges, but being with Jesse has softened her, and they've really grown up together. Kay has written him perfectly, and her character would be insane not to love him.

"And this is when you'd kiss," Jason tells them, interrupting her reverie.

"Want to practice?" Skylar whispers in her ear, and she suppresses a shudder.

Anna glances over at Camp, who is talking animatedly to Kay off set. She looks up at Skylar and replies, "Don't worry, we'll have plenty of chances for that." She flashes him a wink and a smile and turns around before he can say anything.

"What the hell, Skylar?" Camp says, pacing around the hotel room. "I thought you said we were going out alone tonight?"

"We were, but then Rebel said there was this really cool club and we should go check it out. Come on, everyone from the cast is going to be there," he answers, changing his shirt into something more appropriate for a night club.

She sighs, crossing her arms over her chest, "I wanted to go to that restaurant and have a nice romantic dinner with my boyfriend who I barely see!" she snaps.

"Barely see?" he questions, "You've been here watching me like a hawk since we started filming here. We're together all the time!"

"No, we're near each other all the time. You haven't spent any time with just me. You never talk to me anymore, Skylar!" she's practically whining at him.

"Talk about what?" he replies, "You know everything about me already. What more do you want? Listen, I'm going out to the club tonight, and you can come or not come. I wish you'd understand that this film is really important to me and my career. I'm not you, Anna, I'm not already in HBO series and popular films. Just let me do this and be happy."

"Fine," she snaps, "But you're going alone!" And with that, she slams the door.

He runs his hands through his hair, exasperated. Nothing makes her happy anymore. Anything he does just isn't enough. All he wants to do is go out with his friends and have a good time. Is that too much to ask from the person who is supposed to love him?

He arrives at the club a little later than everyone else, his fight with Camp delaying him a bit. He walks through the crowd until he finds the rest of the cast. He spots Rebel first, vigorously dancing with Adam in the middle of the dance floor. He sees Kendrick a moment later, almost not recognizing her at first. She's dressed in a short, tight black dress that leaves little to the imagination, and hugs all her curves perfectly. She's showing off a bit of cleavage and her hair is in loose curls. She looks stunning.

"Hey," she says as he approaches. She glances over his shoulder behind him, "Where's Camp?"

"She's not feeling well," he lies, not wanting to get into it right now. Ben walks over to them and slaps him on the back, along with Adam and David.

"Looks like you need a drink," Adam says, pointing in the direction of the bar.

Skylar gets himself a beer, and sips it while he glances around the room. Rebel is right, this place is great. The DJ played great track after great track, and the dance floor is packed. He sees Kendrick dancing with Rebel, Alexis, Ben, Michael, and Utkarsh. He can't help but stare as her hips sway to the music in that dress. He hasn't eaten anything since lunch, and his mind is already growing fuzzy with the effects of the alcohol.

He's on this third beer when he approaches her from behind and says in her ear, "I thought Beca Mitchell was DJ-ing here for a minute."

She smiles, rolling her eyes at him, "I wish I were that talented," she replies.

"You are," he says automatically, and she blushes.

"I meant with music," she smiles up at him.

"You are," he repeats, and starts singing "_I got my ticket for the long way round_," while drumming on the side of his cup of beer.

She laughs, "I think you're drunk already. Rough night?"

"I'm not drunk you're just beautiful," he blurts.

"Yes, you're definitely drunk," she answers, "Need me to call Camp to pick you up? Oh right, I forgot she's sick."

"She's not really sick," he slurs.

Anna stops dancing and stares at him. "Sorry, it's none of my business," she says, and she turns to walk away from him.

"Anna, wait!" he calls after her, causing a few other cast members to stare questioningly at him as he practically runs chases her out of the club.

She's standing on the sidewalk looking up at the stars when he catches up to her.

"Do you need me to call you a cab?" she asks without turning around.

"No, I'm good," he says, standing beside her. "We're friends, right?"

It's such a loaded question, and she's unsure how to answer when he continues, letting her off the hook, "We had a fight. She doesn't get how important this movie is to me, to my career. She thinks I should be spending all of my energy and focus on her right now." He turns to Anna, "I mean, you get it, don't you? That's why you're here."

She turns to look at him, "Yeah, that's why I'm here," she replies.

They stand for a moment staring at each other when a cabbie pulls up. "Need a ride?" he asks. Skylar nods, telling Anna it's probably best if he just rests up for tomorrow since they have a big day ahead of them.

And as he gets in the cab, she knows she was telling him the truth.


	4. Endings

The next morning Skylar wakes with a headache. He takes some pain medicine and checks his cellphone. There's nothing from Camp, but there is a text from Ben asking him where he went and if he's ok.

He shows up to the set early, and Kendrick is there as well. There's no sign of Camp and he's unsure whether to call her or not.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he hears Kendrick ask him from behind.

"I've been better," he laughs, "Shouldn't have had that third beer on an empty stomach."

She smiles, "Probably not the best idea," she agrees.

There's an awkward pause. Anna is unsure of what to say. She cares about Skylar, but she cares about Camp too. She knows she's already in the middle of whatever argument they were having last night, and she wishes she could rewind the clock and not go to that club, but she can't. She's not a boyfriend stealer or a relationship wrecker. She's just trying to be a friend.

"Ok, well I guess I'll see you later," she manages, before turning and walking away.

Skylar sighs. Sure, he's attracted to Kendrick. He was when he first met her, but she was in a relationship. And then he had natural chemistry with Camp too, and they seemed to hit it off. But lately he just doesn't know what to do. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, that he knows for sure.

He looks at the filming schedule for the day and groans. Today they're set to film the scene where he and Kendrick are in bed together. He cradles his face in his hands, as if things could be any more awkward, this will surely be the icing on the cake.

To make matters worse, Camp shows up on set at lunch time, and wants to talk to him. "Look," she begins, "I'm sorry I overreacted last night, I just feel like we're out of step lately and I am upset about that."

"I know me too," he says, "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I need you to understand how much this film means to me. I really need your support."

"I'm trying," she replies, "But lately our lives are pulling us in separate directions and it's difficult. I guess it happens to every Hollywood couple eventually."

He frowns, "I just didn't think it would happen to us," he finishes for her.

"Me neither," she whispers. "Hey, I'm filming my scene later so I'll hang around and we'll talk more after, ok?"

"Ok," he nods, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before heading over to makeup and wardrobe.

Wardrobe turns out to be minimal for this scene. He's only wearing a pair of boxers, and Kendrick is wearing only a skin colored strapless bra and matching panties. She puts a robe on over herself while they touch up her makeup and hair, and then they're ready to start shooting.

Camp is watching from the sidelines again, and he gives her a quick smile before climbing into Beca's dorm room bed. Kendrick appears a minute later, disrobes, and climbs in next to him. "It's freezing in here!" she tells him, pulling the sheet up around her neck, shivering.

"Well, you have me to keep you warm at least," he grins, and then internally cringes, hoping it didn't sound like a come on to her. He's just trying to make light of an unusual situation.

The director comes over to them and tells them just how much skin he wants showing. It needs to look like they're naked under the sheets, so he doesn't want any of Kendrick's underwear to show at any point. "And then you're going to lean over her and kiss her," he tells Skylar. "Remember, this is a really emotional point in their relationship for them, so give it your all."

Anna nods, ever serious on set.

"Think you can still pretend to love me?" he quips. He's just so nervous, and it isn't helping that Camp is watching.

She smiles shyly at him, "I'll try," she says.

"Action!" Jason yells.

"I'm serious, Bec," Skylar says, as Jesse.

She's facing the wall with her back to him. "I know," she replies, as Beca.

"Don't put up your walls again, not now. Not ever," he whispers, stroking her hair.

She stiffens a little, as this wasn't in the script. "I'm not," she says, rolling over to face him, "But can you blame me if I just want to enjoy these last few weeks with you before our lives change forever? We don't know what's going to happen, Jesse. For now, I just want to be with you."

Her delivery of her lines is so perfect, so spot-on, that his heart actually breaks a little. "And I want to be with you," he smiles at her, "Always," he adds.

"Don't say always, you don't know—"

His fingertip on her lips silences her as he moves, his body covering hers as he hovers over her. "I know I love you," he whispers, before lowering his mouth to hers.

"Cut!" they hear Jason yell, and they break apart abruptly. "Skylar!" Jason says, coming over to them, "This is the love of your life here. You don't know where your relationship is going. You don't know if you're going to lose her or not. I need you to pour all of that into this kiss. Kiss her as if your life depends on it, as if she is the oxygen you need to breathe, ok?"

"Ok," Skylar nods, blushing a little.

"Resume your position over her, we'll take it from right before the kiss!" Jason shouts.

"Action!"

And again, he's looming over her, and her heart is pounding in the moment. This time when his lips meet hers, it's different. There's an intensity there that wasn't present before. His tongue delves into her mouth, tangling with her own. His body is pressing her firmly into the mattress, and she instinctively moves her hands to his hair, threading her fingers through his dark locks. The sheets move to expose her bare leg, and she hooks it over his legs, getting lost in the moment. The kiss goes on for what feels like minutes, and when he finally breaks away, he pauses, leaning his forehead against hers for the briefest moment before rolling off her and pulling her to him in an embrace. She curls into him, closing her eyes.

"Cut! That was perfect guys, absolutely brilliant," the director shouts.

Anna can't form a coherent thought as she tries to compose herself. Skylar releases his grip on her, and she stands to collect her robe and put it back on, covering herself. She rushes off set, eager to put on clothes. He sits on the edge of the bed, running his hands through his hair and breathing deeply. _It was just acting_, he tells himself before standing. And it's then that he looks up and finds Camp staring at him intently.

He grabs his shirt, throwing it back on before walking over to her. He opens his mouth to say something but she holds her hand up, "Don't," she says.

"It's just acting," he tells her, "I was just doing what Jason told me to do."

"I know," Camp looks at the floor, "But we both know it's more than that. And I'm realizing that I'm ok with it. I mean I'm not, but it is what it is, you know?"

"I'm sorry," he says, taking her hand in his.

"I know," she replies, "But there's nothing to be sorry for, you can't control how you feel. I know that from experience. Better to move on now before you're years into a marriage that isn't working."

"Thank you for being so great," he says, "Can we still be friends?"

"Sure," she says halfheartedly, and he knows that other than their interactions on this set, he probably won't be speaking to her again.

Meanwhile, Anna Kendrick has holed herself up in the bathroom, trying to make sense of that kiss. It felt so real to her, unlike any other on-set kiss she's had before. She knows Skylar was just acting, doing what Jason told him, but still. She can't shake that feeling, the feeling that her entire body was on fire.

_You can't help this natural chemistry with the guy_, she tells herself, _that's why he was cast as your love interest. _

But Skylar has a girlfriend, a girlfriend who watched that entire scene. Anna wants to crawl into a hole and disappear. Why did she agree to do this movie? She takes several deep breaths before tentatively opening the door and stepping back on set. She's much more comfortable in Beca's standard outfit of skinny jeans, a tank top, and a sweater overtop it as she strolls back to the set of Beca's dorm room, where she's supposed to film a scene with Skylar in a few minutes. He's changed into dark jeans and a form-fitting t-shirt and looks incredibly handsome at the moment. He's sitting in one of the chairs off-set waiting to start, and there's no sign of Camp.

"Where's Camp?" she asks as she approaches him, "I wanted to ask her something about the scene we're filming together later."

"She left," Skylar replies, a hint of sorrow in his voice.

"Oh," Anna says, "So this scene should be a lot easier, just watching a movie together on Beca's bed. Just like old times." She senses that something is off with him, and is trying to sound casual given the circumstances.

"Yeah," he says halfheartedly. He doesn't say anything for a long while, just staring into space. He sighs, "I think we just broke up."

"What?" his words shock Anna. Her jaw drops as she turns to look at him, "What happened?"

"Nothing really," he explains, "It was a long time coming. We've been growing apart for a while."

"I'm sorry," she says sincerely. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, actually I am," he replies, "You know it's like we were together so long I almost just got used to it. But I'm ok with it. I think it's for the best."

"Good," she answers, "Break ups are hard. I was with Edgar for four years when we ended things."

"That must've been rough," he tells her.

"It was, but we wanted different things. And since then I just haven't been able to feel comfortable with someone again like that. Maybe I'm just afraid, I don't know." She pauses, realizing she's probably sharing too much. She never talks about Edgar.

"I get what you mean," he says. And he does, but talking with her is easy, natural. And even though he feels this attraction to her, he realizes in this moment that he doesn't really know her on a personal level.

She's getting distracted by his eyes, which are dark brown and hold so much emotion in them. She feels the familiar fluttering in her chest and stands, needing to be away from him.

"You guys ready?" Jason Moore asks, gesturing to the set. They stand and move into Beca's dorm room. Jesse's blue laptop is sitting on the bed, and she moves to sit at the desk, placing large headphones on her head. He sprawls across the bed, a textbook in hand.

"Action!"

"What are you working on?" he asks as Jesse.

"A new mix, but something about it just isn't right," she replies as Beca, putting her headphones on his head. He listens for a moment and then turns to her.

"The tempos aren't matching up with the two songs. You need to either slow one of them down or speed one of them up," he says, flashing his trademark grin at her. She rolls her eyes before turning back to her computer, clearly frustrated. "Hey," he says, patting the space next to him, "C'mere."

She stands and climbs onto bed next to him. He flips open his laptop and loads up one of his movies. "Watch this for a while with me. It will take your mind off things."

He throws his arm around her shoulder, and she leans into him. Without really meaning to, she ends up watching him instead of the movie. He's so intently focused on the blank screen, as if something were actually happening on the laptop. She smiles, and he can feel her eyes on him.

"You're not paying attention," he mock-scolds her, and she turns his face toward hers before pressing a soft kiss to his lips. His eyes flutter shut as he savors the feeling of her mouth on his for a moment before it dawns on him that this wasn't in the script. He pulls away. "What was that for?"

"For being you," she whispers softly.

"Cut!" Jason shouts. "Wow guys, that was brilliant. You two are just perfect together. Let's take a break for a while."

She jumps up abruptly for the second time that day, needing to be away from him, and glances at the rest of the day's filming schedule. Her next scene to film is singing a duet with him.

It doesn't look like being away from him is what the universe has planned for her today.

**A/N: If there's a song you'd like them to sing together, let me know.**

**I received an extremely nasty review full of profanity basically telling me that this story is horrible and that I'm a horrible person for writing it. This anonymous reviewer is clearly a Castin shipper and I just want to clarify here that I have nothing against Anna Camp personally, and just thought it would be fun to write this story since I wonder what it would be like if Skylar dated Anna Kendrick instead. I mean no harm. **

**This reviewer also told me I should get a life instead of caring about celebrity couples, which I found ironic since they were obviously angry enough to tell me off since I don't ship Castin. For the record, I do have a life. I have a successful career, I'm married, and I have 1.2 children. I apologize if this story angers anyone. It's supposed to be entertaining. I deleted the review, the first I have deleted in my 4 years on this site. It was insulting to both me and my readers, and I wasn't going to leave it online. I have never received anything so hateful and crass, and I've published over 20 stories on this site (most of which have been taken offline by me). **

**As long as people continue to enjoy my work, I'll keep trying to write. Thank you for your feedback, and thank you for reading!**


	5. Chemistry

Even though she has to sing with him, at least she will be in a setting where the rest of the cast is involved.

When she arrives at the auditorium set, the stage for the Regionals competition, everyone is there including Camp and Brittany Snow. She runs over to Brittany to give her a hug hello, and then pulls her over to the side.

"Did you hear about Skylar and Camp?" Brittany asks her before she can say anything.

"Yeah, he just told me right before we filmed a scene together," Anna replies. "How's Camp doing?"

"She seems ok with it. She said she thinks he is starting to have feelings for someone else," Brittany whispers.

Anna's mind is in overdrive. She thought for a few moments in the last few days that Skylar might be interested in her, but she just dismissed it because he was with Camp and he was just a charming sort of guy. "Did she say who?" Anna asks, trying not to sound too interested.

"No," Brittany answers, "But I didn't want to badger her over it, I mean they just broke up a few hours ago."

Anna nods, and as Brittany rejoins the group she scans the room. Camp is talking animatedly to Rebel, and Skylar is chatting with Ben. Everything seems alright for the moment. She is relieved when the announcement is made that they will only have time to work on choreography today, because she is emotionally exhausted and doesn't think she'd sing well right now if they needed her to. She just wants to return to her hotel room and process the day's events.

Camp disappears to go film her one scene with Brittany where the two of them will act as judges, and Anna is happy to be away from her ever-present stares. She's so focused thinking about Camp that she hasn't noticed him staring at her.

He can't help but stare. There's just something magnetic about her. She's in the middle of a crowd of guys twice her size, making some kind of sarcastic, witty remark that has them all laughing. As he approaches he hears that she's teasing Ben about how he just snorted while he was laughing.

"You know," he tells her, "You shouldn't mock people twice your size. It's just common sense."

She laughs, "Good point. But you know I'm better at running away and hiding. I can fit into kitchen cabinets, suitcases, infant car seats."

"Yeah but you have to be able to run," Ben quips, scooping her up and throwing her over his shoulder. She's squirming, trying to get out of his grasp. Skylar feels a twinge of jealousy as he knows Ben has had a thing for her since they filmed the first movie.

"Put her down," Skylar tells him, trying to not sound as annoyed as he feels, "If you drop the star of the movie on her head, we're all screwed."

"Oh please," Anna scoffs, "You all are far better singers than I am."

"Whatever, Miss Oscar Nominated actress," Ben teases, putting his hand up in front of her face. She slaps it away, and again Skylar feels his internal organs constrict. He walks away from the group, suddenly in need of water.

As he's standing near the refreshments table, Ben walks over to him. "How are you handling things with Camp?" he asks his friend.

"I'm fine," Skylar replies, trying not to snap at him. The guy really has done nothing wrong.

They both turn to watch Anna, who is now practicing the choreography with the girls, and keeps dissolving into laughter at some of the more sexy moves. "I look ridiculous doing this!" she exclaims, although it's clear by the expressions on the guys' faces that ridiculous isn't the word they'd use to describe her.

"She's adorable," Ben says out loud. "What do you think? Should I ask her out finally? I mean I'm single, she's single."

Before Skylar can think of something to deter his friend, Ben continues, "I mean look at her. She's beautiful, intelligent, and so, so talented it's almost sick. And on top of it all, she's great. Sweet as can be and modest too. She's the entire package, man."

Skylar just stares at her. Ben is right. He's known that for some time, but never really considered that he might have a shot with her. She's out of his league, right? Right?

Maybe not.

"Go for it," he replies with as much enthusiasm as he can muster. If Anna is interested in Ben, there's only one way to find out.

Ben grins, clapping Skylar firmly on the back before rejoining the group. He watches in horror as Ben strolls right up to Anna, pulls her aside, and starts talking to her. She's smiling, nodding her head, and Skylar can't breathe for a moment. After what seems like forever, Ben walks back over to him.

"So I did it, I asked her out," Ben says breathlessly, "But she said she's busy tonight. In fact, she said some of the girls on the cast are going out to some bar and restaurant for dinner, and she invited me and you to come along. Better to hang out with her in a group than not at all. And she didn't flat out say no."

"She specifically mentioned me?" Skylar asks, hopeful.

"Yeah man," Ben replies, "She did."

"Do you think Camp will be there?" Skylar wonders.

"Probably not," Ben answers, "She mentioned going to some fancy restaurant with Elizabeth Banks later."

Skylar is relieved to be finished filming for the day, and he has a few hours to himself where he can head back to the hotel and get ready for tonight.

Anna was completely thrown off by Ben. She didn't know he liked her, and she didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she can't say she's noticed him before as anything other than a friend. He's incredibly kind and cute, and she thinks she might give him a chance. But, just to be clear to him that for now she's only interested in him as friends, she tells him to bring Skylar.

Skylar takes forever getting ready by mulling over his outfit and hair for a long time. When he finally arrives at the restaurant, he's a few minutes late. He walks in and sees Kendrick, Ben, Alexis, and Rebel already sitting at a table together with one seat empty. He's happy that this is a small town and a place well off the beaten path and not that many people are recognizing them here.

"Isn't this place great?" Ben asks him as he sits with the others, "Anna found it."

"Yeah, it's great," Skylar agrees, smiling warmly at Anna. He can't help but notice that her cheeks flush slightly. She looks gorgeous in a dark blue scoop neck top, short black skirt, and boots. Her hair is in loose ringlets and her makeup is much lighter than Beca Mitchell's. He flags down the server for a beer.

"Try not to get plastered tonight," Anna teases him, flashing him a bright smile. "We've got a lot of kissing scenes coming up and I'd prefer it if you didn't reek of alcohol."

"As you wish," he replies, holding his beer up in the air as if to toast her.

Ben and Rebel are sitting on either side of her, leaving him across the table. Skylar watches as Ben starts asking her a slew of questions, obviously trying to engage her in conversation. She's answering him, throwing in a few anecdotes that have the whole group laughing, and Skylar can't help but notice that even though Ben is the one asking the questions, she's looking at him when she answers.

As it gets later, the place grows louder and darker as people drink more. There's music playing and some of the other patrons have started dancing. "Want to dance?" Ben asks Anna, and she nods.

She's grateful that it's a fast song and they don't have to touch while dancing, and she looks over at Skylar, surprised to find him staring right back at her. And what is that expression on his face? Disappointment?

She's just trying to be nice to Ben, to give him a chance. After all, Skylar was in a serious relationship until just a few hours ago. She doesn't want to be anyone's rebound. But she can tell already that she has no chemistry, no spark with Ben. She shoots Skylar an anxious look, as if to say, _save me_.

He's out of his chair in an instant, coming over to them. "Mind if I cut in?" he asks Ben, gesturing to Alexis who quickly starts dancing with Ben instead. He and Anna move aside and have started dancing when the song ends and a slow song starts playing.

She looks nervous for a moment before stepping closer to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Good thing I'm wearing heels," she jokes.

"You could have stood on my feet," he laughs, placing his hands on her hips.

"Hey," she says, looking up at him, "Thanks for saving me. Ben's great, it's just that—"

"It's never gonna happen?" he finishes for her.

"Yeah," she nods. "God, I'm such a mess."

He shakes his head at her, "A _hot_ mess," he says without thinking, and then hopes she doesn't think he's overstepping.

"Thanks," she smiles shyly. "You know I love playing Beca, but her clothes? Totally not my style. And all that makeup takes forever to wash off!"

"You look better this way, more natural. You don't need all that makeup," he agrees. "You know we all appreciate that you're doing the movie with us."

"I wanted to," she answers.

"Then why did it take you so long to decide?" he questions.

She freezes, looking down at the floor. "Personal reasons," she replies quietly.

"Like?"

"Chemistry," she says vaguely.

"You're not helping," he shakes his head.

"You know, getting along with everyone," she explains.

"But everyone loves you," he says, baffled.

"It wasn't so much me worrying about people liking me," she says, the alcohol making her brain a little fuzzy, "It was more me worrying about liking people."

"Oh," he says, wondering who she's talking about.

"You know, _chemistry_," she says, looking directly into his eyes for a long moment. And just as her meaning resonates with him she pulls away, heading in the direction of their table. He is still stunned when they sit down again and Anna acts as if nothing happened between them just now.

Internally, Anna is freaking out. She can't believe she basically just told Skylar she has a huge crush on him. What is wrong with her? The guy has only been single for a few hours! Again, she needs distance between them and that doesn't seem to be an option.

To make matters worse, Ben is unrelenting in his flirting. On one hand, Skylar has to give the guy credit for being so brazen about it; on the other hand, he wants to punch Ben. "Dude," he says to his friend, pulling him over the bar for a talk.

"I was just talking to Anna," Skylar tells Ben, "And I'm sorry, but she's not interested in you. She likes someone else. She doesn't want to hurt your feelings or make things awkward."

"Who does she like?" Ben asks.

"Umm," Skylar falters, looking down at his drink, "Me, actually."

"She told you that?" Ben gapes at him.

"In so many words, yes," Skylar replies, "And look, neither of us planned this or anything. I'm just newly single. I'm not going to head into a relationship just yet. But there definitely is something going on between us. I thought it was just playing Beca and Jesse getting to my head, but it's more than that. I'm sorry, man."

Ben doesn't say anything for a long while, sipping his drink thoughtfully. He turns to Skylar, "Just promise me this," he begins, "That if you are lucky enough to get her, you won't be an idiot and screw things up. Seriously, she's one of a kind."

"I promise," Skylar says, and he means it.

He looks over at Anna as she laughs over something Rebel just said, her smile practically lighting up the room, and he knows that Ben is right.


	6. Saviour

As Anna, Alexis, and Rebel stand up to get ready to leave, Skylar notices that a few other patrons begin to recognize them and start pointing in their direction. There's a table of guys a few feet away from Anna and one of them gets up and walks over to her. He's very tall, muscular, and looks a few years younger than Skylar.

"Hey there gorgeous," he says to Anna, his voice thick with alcohol, "I'd like to take your sweet ass home with me." And he slaps Anna quickly on her rear. She spins around to face him, and he towers over her.

"Back off, buddy," she warns.

Skylar crosses the room in two seconds flat. "Why don't you just get out of here, man," he says to the guy.

The guy laughs loudly, pulling Anna into his chest with one arm, "Why don't you make me, pretty boy?" he scoffs.

Anna is looking at Skylar, her expression a mixture of fear and warning. She doesn't want him to get hurt, and he won't be able to film if he ends up injured or with a black eye. She's shaking her head at him as if to say, "Don't."

Ben has come up behind him, and taken Rebel and Alexis off to the side so they won't be in the middle of this. "Hey asshole!" Ben shouts at the guy, getting him to turn away from Skylar, and in that instant, Skylar punches him as hard as he can in the stomach. The guy bends over in pain, and Skylar takes the opportunity to take Anna by the hand and pull her away from him.

"Are you ok?" he asks quickly, and she nods at him. He puts his arm around her and ushers her out of the place as quickly as he can. "I'm taking her back to the hotel," he shouts over his shoulder at the others.

He walks them over to his rental car, opens the passenger side door, and closes it once she's safely in the seat. He gets in the driver's side, grateful that he's only had a few sips of beer tonight after all that's happened, and starts the engine. They're on the road for a few minutes and she still hasn't said anything.

"You sure you're alright?" he asks her again.

"Yeah," she replies quietly, "Just a little freaked out is all."

"So that's never happened to you before?" he wonders.

"No," she answers, "I mean I've been recognized before by fans, and people have swarmed me for autographs, but usually people are nice. I've never been manhandled like that."

"Well that's good I guess," he says. "You know before Pitch Perfect, nobody knew who I was outside of Broadway, and now people recognize me all the time. In a way, it's kind of cool. And in other ways, I wish I could go back to the days when I could go out somewhere and just be me, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," she answers. "So what made you want to be an actor?"

"I was always interested in performing," he tells her, "I used to sing all the time, and then when someone pointed out that I might have talent, I started taking lessons. And then I got involved in the drama groups as school and it kind of took off from there. How about you?"

"When I was little I always wanted to be in movies. My brother and I loved movies and would talk about acting. So one day we begged my parents to let us follow our dreams. We wanted to go to New York and audition for anything we could, and they actually said yes. So they used to put us on a bus together and we'd audition, and then we'd go back to Portland. The first thing I got was a role in High Society when I was twelve, and then I was completely hooked after that."

"So your parents just let you ride the bus when you were that young?" he asks.

"Yeah," she replies, "I know it sounds crazy, but they both worked, and they wanted us to be happy. I think it's really awesome that they were so supportive of us."

"I do too," he agrees, smiling at her.

"Thank you for helping me back there," she tells him. "Seriously, I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there."

"You would have kicked him in the balls," he replies, "After all, they were practically eye-level for you," he adds, laughing.

"Shut up," she answers, but she's laughing too.

They're quiet for a moment, just listening to the radio, when much to her chagrin her song Cups comes on the radio station. She groans, while he starts singing along and drumming out the beat on the steering wheel. "Who knew this song would get so big?" she says.

"It's because it's different," he answers, "And people love doing that cup trick to it. I mean, with all the over-produced, auto-tuned stuff out there, this is folky and wholesome and simple. That's why people love it. That and it's you," he adds with a wink.

"Oh stop," she replies, shoving him playfully.

"Hey, I'm driving here!" he retorts, and they're both laughing again. It's just so easy being together, they both think.

He pulls up at the hotel and parks the car. They're enjoying each other so much that they fail to notice that a few people are loitering outside the hotel lobby. As they get out of the car they hear the distant shouts of, "Hey, there's Anna Kendrick and Skylar Astin!"

"Shit," she whispers under her breath. The last thing she wanted was for the paparazzi to see them together. He and Camp just broke up today and she doesn't want this to look bad. They were only having a friendly dinner with their cast mates. She holds her hand up over her face, shielding herself as he ushers her through the lobby and into the hotel. Luckily, the paparazzi can't follow them. They rush into the elevator and are relieved when the doors close behind them.

"What a night," he sighs as she presses the button for her floor. "Top floor?" he asks.

She nods. And before he realizes it, they pass his floor on the way to hers.

"Guess I've gotten you this far, might as well take you the rest of the way," he tells her.

They step out of the elevator and reach her door. She slides in the key card and opens it to reveal a massive suite.

"Wow!" he exclaims, glancing in, "They really pulled out all the stops for you."

"It was part of my contract," she explains, "You know, because I was playing hard to get."

"Right," he says, still looking past her.

Noticing his curiosity, she says, "Want to come in and have a look around?"

"You wouldn't mind?" he asks, and she shakes her head. He enters and she gives him a quick tour of the suite. She has fruit baskets, wine, and a bunch of other royalties from the hotel that are noticeably absent from his own room.

She looks embarrassed, "It's a bit much," she says.

"I think it's kind of awesome," he says with a smile. "I mean look at you, big star."

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it," she replies.

He looks at his watch, and after realizing how late it is, knows he should be going. He moves over to the door. "So I'll see you tomorrow," he says, "Thanks for letting me see your room."

"It was the least I could do after you saved me today, three times," she clarifies. "Goodnight Skylar."

"Goodnight Anna."

That night, she is dreaming of him when she hears a loud pounding on her door. She opens her eyes and sees it's already morning. She shuffles over to the door in her pajamas, looks through the peephole, and is met with the contorted images of Rebel, Alexis, and Brittany. Reluctantly, she opens the door. The three women rush past her, and as she closes and locks the door they all turn around to face her.

"So spill already!" Brittany demands.

"Spill what?" Anna wonders.

"Oh come on!" Alexis interjects, "We all know you left with Skylar last night. You danced with Skylar last night. And he was staring at you all night. So? What happened?"

"He was being a friend, that's all," Anna explains. "He just broke up with Camp and needed a pal, that's all."

"Do you think we're stupid?" Rebel interrupts. "You two are not just friends. Friends don't look at each other that way."

Anna rolls her eyes, "Look, I don't know what you want me to say. Yes, I'm interested in him. And yes he just got out of a long relationship. We're just trying to get to know each other right now. Is that ok with all of you?"

"We just don't want you to get hurt," Brittany says. "We all love Camp too, and don't get me wrong, Skylar's a great guy."

"But?" Anna questions.

"But you're right, he just got out of a long relationship. And then there's the media circus that will ensue, and I just want to make sure you're ready for all that," Brittany clarifies.

"Just be careful," Alexis warns.

"Do you think Camp is going to hate me?" Anna asks them.

"Not at all," Brittany replies, "In fact, I think you're the one she thinks Skylar has a thing for."

"You're kidding," Anna gasps.

"No," Rebel answers, "But she's cool with it. Really. They weren't working anymore and she knows that. She said she just wants him to be happy."

"So is he a good kisser?" Brittany asks.

"I've only ever kissed him on set," Anna explains, "And yes. Yes he is."

She blushes, which earns an "Aww" from her girlfriends. "So what's on the agenda for today?"

They all look, and it turns out the next week is going to be a cappella boot camp, but at least she'll get a break from all those romantic moments with Skylar.

At least on set…


	7. Lucky

**A/N: The rating on this chapter is more like an M, but I tried to keep it in the T range. Let me know if you disagree. I don't like writing rated M stuff, but I know I often reach the line. These characters have a mind of their own, and as I sat down to write I didn't have a plan in mind. The story just took on a life of its own... (Or you can blame my pregnancy hormones, haha)**

Boot camp is intense, and the musical numbers are far more complex than the ones in the first movie, but Anna is happy to be surrounded by her friends every day. It doesn't allow for much alone time with Skylar, either. She doesn't want things to move too quickly between them, because she feels they still need some time to get to know each other. Plus, his relationship with Camp has only just ended.

And so they spend the next few weeks doing choreography, and singing, and recording, and harmonizing. Sometimes they work together, and other times they are in separate places. When they do see each other, they talk and flirt, and their interactions always leave her with a smile on her face for hours afterwards.

Skylar wants to see more of Anna, but he knows it is probably for the best that they are so busy. He is considering asking her to dinner, but he isn't sure if she'll think it was too soon, and so he waits for the right time.

It's the last day of boot camp, and Skylar's group finishes up early. He's walking around the set when he hears the sounds of the girls' rehearsal taking place. He decides to go over and watch for a little before heading back to the hotel.

Anna is in the middle of the group, her voice loud and clear and her pitch perfect as she sings. The others are harmonizing with her, and he stops in his tracks, just loving to listen to her sing. She smiles at him as she continues with the choreography, and when the number finishes he applauds for them. She walks over to him and grabs a bottle of water from a nearby table.

"That was really great," he tells her.

"Thanks," she replies.

"So I was wondering," he begins nervously, "If you'd like to have dinner with me sometime? I know I just broke up with Camp a few weeks ago, and I hope you don't think I'm rushing into things, but I'd really like to spend some time with you, just us."

She smiles at him, his nervousness is adorable, and it's sweet of him to worry. "I'd love to," she responds.

He grins, "When?"

"How about tonight around seven?" she answers, "We can order room service in my suite. This way we don't have to worry about drunk bastards assaulting us and paparazzi taking our pictures."

"Sounds perfect," he replies. "I'll see you then."

That evening she paces around her hotel room, searching through her closet. She has no idea what to wear. She thinks it's a date and normally she'd dress up, but this is just dinner in her room. She decides on a denim skirt and leggings paired with a dark green top. She leaves her hair loose around her face and applies her makeup carefully.

At exactly seven o'clock, she hears a quiet knock on her door, and she opens it to reveal Skylar, dressed in dark wash jeans and a blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His eyes scan down her body, noticing that her shirt shows off her cleavage nicely. He quickly returns his eyes to her face, not wanting it to seem like he's ogling her.

"Hey," she says, opening the door for him.

"Hey," he smiles at her, and she feels her stomach flip, "I still can't get over how huge this place is."

"Are you hungry?" she asks him, "Because we can order now if you want."

He nods and she hands him the room service menu. Once their selections have been made she picks up the phone and places the order. She turns back to him and says, "So I thought we could watch a movie while we wait for the food. Sound good?"

"Dinner and a movie?" he jokes, and she nods. She leads him over to the television and they both sit on the sofa. She starts flipping through the pay per view movie options.

They laugh when they see that The Breakfast Club is an option. "Let's just focus on being us and not Jesse and Beca for one evening," he says. "Lord of the Rings?" he asks.

"I kind of think if you're going to watch one, you need to watch them all in order," she replies.

"You like Lord of the Rings?" he asks, surprised.

"I love it. I watch the entire trilogy every year," she replies seriously.

"I knew it! You are a closeted nerd!" he teases her.

"I wouldn't say it's a big secret," she laughs, "I'm pretty out there with how weird I am. I can't help it if most people don't get that I'm joking most of the time."

"Your Twitter is hilarious," he agrees, "Even if you don't follow me."

"You don't follow me either!" she pushes him lightly on the shoulder.

"I don't have to," he answers, "Your page is public for anyone to see."

"Ditto," she answers. "Besides, now I can just text you or call you, or just see you if I want to. I don't get people that are always just using social media to communicate with each other. I mean, it's completely out there for everyone and anyone to see."

He pauses, wondering if this is a jab at his relationship with Camp, but decides it probably isn't, "I know what you mean." She turns to him, a wayward curl of hair falling across her face, and he instinctively tucks it behind her ear. It's such a simple gesture, and he can't help but notice the way her cheeks flush slightly. She turns her attention back to the screen quickly.

"The Wedding Singer?" she asks him.

"Oh definitely," he replies, happy that she chose a comedy. It's something they've both seen a dozen times and the familiarity of it puts them both at ease. They're quoting lines and singing along with the songs when they hear a knock on the door.

"Room service!"

Their food is beautifully arranged on the table for them, and they sit down to eat.

"I'm embarrassed to admit this," Skylar says in between bites, "But the first time we met I thought you were way out of my league. I mean, I was nobody, and you were famous. I thought you were attractive, of course, just didn't think I had a shot with you."

She almost chokes on her food, "What? Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah," he replies, "And then I started getting along well with Camp and we became friends. And then when she got divorced it just made sense for us to start dating. And I was happy for a while, but lately things had been hard. We were always in different places and it was taking a toll on us. And then I realized I wasn't the same person that I was when we started going out. We'd somehow changed in a way that made us grow apart."

"I get that," she answers. "It's nearly impossible to have a relationship with anyone with my schedule lately. I'm always headed off somewhere to film, or attend some awards function, or charity event, and I think it would be really difficult to be involved with me."

"You don't think you're worth the effort?" he asks her.

"I don't know," she answers honestly.

"I'll be the judge of that," he says, and again her stomach does a little flip.

"With Edgar, there was the age difference," she says, "And then our schedules never aligned, and it was getting to the point where marriage seemed like the next step. But for some reason it didn't feel right. I mean, I still care about him and think he's a genius in what he does, but I didn't feel confident about our future. It was mutual when we ended things, but it still hurt. And then for a while I didn't want to get involved with anyone, because I didn't want the same pattern to repeat itself. And frankly, I was too busy."

"And how about now?" he asks.

"And now," she pauses, knowing she's about to be brutally honest with him, "I find myself needing to know if this attraction is because we're playing lovers in a movie or if it's real."

"Don't say lovers," he quotes Beca. "Oh, and it's real," he says matter-of-factly and with confidence, and for what seems like the umpteenth time that evening, she has butterflies in her stomach.

They finish eating and return to the sofa to watch the rest of the movie. Only now she can't focus on it anymore. She can feel his eyes on her, but she keeps her gaze fixed to the screen. Her heart is pounding wildly in her chest and she swears he's going to be able to hear it. She feels his fingers playing with the ends of her hair, and turns tentatively to face him. His eyes are darting rapidly between her eyes and her lips, and when he leans slowly toward her she knows what's going to happen. His lips peck hers lightly a few times before he pulls back, wanting to gauge her reaction. She smiles nervously at him, threading her hands in his hair and pulling his mouth back to hers. She can feel him smiling into the kiss, and when his tongue skims her bottom lip, she opens her mouth to him. His hands grip either side of her tiny waist, and he pulls her flush against his body as their tongues tangle together. They kiss for a long while, and when he finally breaks the kiss, they're both breathing hard as he leans his forehead against hers.

"Camp is an idiot," she blurts, and he laughs. Because God, this boy can kiss.

"Believe me, it was never like this with her," he answers.

"Never?" she asks.

"Never," he says softly, and his voice sends shivers up her spine. He can't explain this connection to her that he feels, this electricity between them, but it's setting every nerve ending on fire. He resists the urge to just take her, right here and now on this sofa. He's never felt like this before, about anyone.

He's staring at her with such intensity and she returns his gaze, kicking off her shoes before standing and straddling him. She pushes him back against the sofa and captures his lips again with her own, kissing him hard. He's already incredibly turned on by her, and now it's becoming painfully obvious. She grinds her hips into his, and he groans.

"You're killing me here," he tells her as she starts kissing his neck.

She runs her hands down his chest and he moans, pushing her hips down onto him again. "I think maybe we just need to do this, and see if it goes away. You know…the tension."

"Are you sure?" he asks, because even though he desperately wants her, she's important to him.

"God, yes," she mumbles as his lips attach to her earlobe, sucking gently. He stands, and she wraps her legs around his waist as he carries her to the bedroom. He lowers her to the bed before kicking off his shoes and climbing on top of her, returning his lips to hers. She's undoing the buttons on his shirt, and he helps her, shrugging it off and depositing it on the floor. She admires his well-defined chest and abs, tracing her fingers lightly over his muscles as he tugs her shirt over her head. She shimmies out of her skirt and leggings and scoots up the bed, pulling the duvet down and sliding under the bed sheets. He's down to just his boxers when he climbs in next to her, placing the condom that was in his jeans pocket on the nightstand beside him.

"You came prepared," she notes, grinning.

"And hopeful," he admits, before reaching for her and pulling her on top of him. He removes her bra easily, and it joins the rest of their discarded clothing on the floor. He wants to savor every moment with her tonight, so he slows down their pace, rolling them over and pressing her into the mattress.

He makes love to her, and it's passionate, and hot, and intense. They pour all of their pent up emotions into every kiss, every touch, and even though neither of them are virgins, it is unlike any other experience they've ever had. Afterwards, he's lying on his back with her curled into his side as they try to catch their breaths.

"Wow," she breathes.

"Yeah," he agrees. He pulls her closer to him, placing a kiss to her temple, "You're beautiful, you know that?"

"You're not so bad yourself," she smiles, kissing his chest.

"So what do you think? Did you get it out of your system?" he jokes even though he's kind of afraid of her answer.

"Nope," she replies, smiling, "Guess we'll just have to do it again."

He laughs, pulling her on top of him and kissing her soundly on the lips, and he still feels it, stronger than ever, the sparks flying between them. "So sexy," he breathes into her mouth, and she breaks the kiss, looking down at him.

"No way," she replies. "Cute, maybe. But not sexy."

"You really don't get it, do you?" he asks, but before she can answer, he's doing that thing with his tongue again and she can't think clearly.

And then they're on to round two.

"So you really hoped you'd get lucky tonight," she teases him, referring to the fact that he'd brought multiple condoms with him tonight.

"It's something I'd been hoping for since I met you," he admits, and again she blushes.

He pauses, unsure of whether she wants him to stay the night or head back to his own room. She notes his expression and says, "I'd love for you to stay, but unless you want to face a barrage of questions from the girls tomorrow morning, it might be better if you left. They've developed this annoying habit of waking me up insanely early and harassing me with questions about whether we've hooked up or not yet."

She pouts as she says this, and he laughs, "Ok. I'm not sure I'm ready for that," he says.

"Would it be ok if we kept this on the down low for now?" she asks hesitantly, "I'm a really private person and I don't want to broadcast our relationship just yet if it's ok with you."

"Yeah definitely," he agrees. "I'll be cool, I promise."

"Good," she smiles at him as he stands, gathering his clothing from the floor and dressing.

"So does anybody know that I came here for dinner tonight?" he asks.

"Not that I know of," she answers. "I didn't mention it to anyone, did you?"

"Nope," he replies, leaning back over the bed and kissing her. "Goodnight gorgeous, I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok, goodnight," she replies, already feeling a little cold without him next to her.

"I had an amazing time tonight," he says over his shoulder as he disappears through the doorway. She waits until she hears the door shut behind him, and then rolls over in an attempt to get some sleep.

Her body is still humming with thoughts of his hands and lips on her, and she groans, throwing her pajamas on as she gets ready for bed officially. She picks up her phone and glances at tomorrow's filming schedule.

She smiles when she realizes she's going to be spending most of the day with Skylar, acting like she's in love with him.

It's turning out to be easier and easier with each passing moment they spend together.


	8. Daylight

The next morning, Anna wakes to the sound of a loud banging on her door. She opens it, expecting to see the entourage of nosy girlfriends waiting there for her, and instead a hotel attendant hands her a huge bouquet of roses in all different colors. She thanks the man and carries the vase into the suite, placing it carefully on the table before opening the attached card.

_Thank you for a perfect evening – xo Skylar_

_P.S. I didn't know which color was your favorite, so I got them all._

She smiles, admiring the flowers as she hears another loud pounding at the door. She tucks the card into her pajama bottoms before opening the door to reveal Rebel, Alexis, and Brittany. They hand her a bakery bag with a muffin and a hot cup of coffee before shoving past her and plopping down on the furniture.

"Whoa," Rebel says noticing the flowers, "Where did those come from?"

"The hotel just sent them up," Anna lies smoothly, "You k now, as a thank you for choosing to stay here."

"How come we didn't get anything?" Alexis wonders.

"Maybe you will," Anna says.

"So…what's the deal with Skylar?" Brittany asks, "I see that you guys have a bunch of scenes together today."

"There's nothing to tell," Anna replies. "We've been talking on set and texting a little, but we're just friends. We're just trying to get to know each other better."

After a few more annoying questions, the girls finally leave and Anna gets ready for the day. She's feeling almost giddy, constantly replaying the events from last night in her head. She arrives on the movie set early, eager to see Skylar again. She knows she's going to have to pretend as though nothing has changed between them even though things couldn't be further from the truth. She sends him a quick text.

_Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful._

He replies only seconds later.

_Not as beautiful as you are. Too cheesy? ;)_

She laughs, and as she looks up from her phone she sees him walk into the room. He spots her and smiles, walking over to her.

"Hey Kendrick," he greets her casually, as if they are just acquaintances like before.

She's just so adorable, and he has the sudden urge to hold her, and kiss her, but of course he can't. Instead he says, "So we're supposed to do a few scenes on the quad today, and then wrap it up with Beca and Jesse's dramatic goodbye after-graduation scene."

"Should be fun," she says dryly, and he laughs.

She's grateful that today they'll only be filming scenes together, and the rest of the cast isn't around to see them work. They are still under the watchful eyes of the crew, so they have to act as if nothing is going on between them, and Anna finds herself growing more nervous with each passing minute. She wants to be alone with him so that they can talk about what happened last night, and what it means. Is he her boyfriend now? Does he want something long term?

It's a beautiful fall day, and even though outdoor scenes always prove to be challenging, the warm sun feels good on her shoulders. There are extras everywhere, actual college students from this university, and some of them point at her and cheer as she crosses the campus to the location where they'll be shooting. Skylar is already there when she arrives.

"Ok," Jason Moore says as he approaches, "So we're going to do the scene where Beca spots Jesse sitting out here with Alyssa from his film class. Then we'll do the movication scene where they're discussing the future, and we'll wrap with the goodbye scene, got it?"

"I love how movication is a real word now," Skylar jokes as he gets into position with the actress who's playing Alyssa. She's blonde, leggy, and gorgeous. "I'm Skylar," he says, holding out his hand to her.

"Beth," she replies, blushing, and Anna narrows her eyes at the newcomer.

"Anna," Jason calls her, snapping her out of her reverie, "I want you coming into the shot from over here." He continues to give her directions, and she's trying to focus as Beth giggles at something Skylar says.

"Action!"

Beca is walking across the campus when she sees Jesse sitting with a very attractive girl. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a Capri Sun as she walks over to him.

"Hey weirdo," she greets, tossing him the juice pouch.

"Bec, hey," Jesse replies, smiling up at her. "This is Alyssa, she's in my film class."

"Hi," Beca nods politely, although it's clear from her expression that she is not happy to find her boyfriend sitting in their spot with another girl. "I'm Beca, Jesse's _long-time_ girlfriend."

Alyssa looks uncomfortable as she stands to leave. "Nice to meet you," she says to Beca before turning back to Jesse, "So I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, in _class_," Beca scoffs, her tone scathing. She sits down in the spot that Alyssa vacates and glares at Jesse. "Dude, what the hell?"

"What?" he asks, smiling smugly at her. "Don't tell me you're jealous of Alyssa."

"I'm not jealous," she replies, rolling her eyes. "But does she have to be so tall, and blonde?"

He laughs, reaching out and scooting her closer to him so that her back is pressed into his chest. He brushes the hair off her neck and begins pressing feather light kisses to the soft skin just below her earlobe. She shivers involuntarily at the sensation.

"Don't worry," he whispers, tilting her head towards him, "I've only ever loved you." And with that, he kisses her lips. She forgets where she is for a moment.

"Cut!"

They pull apart, and his lips are swollen slightly. In the sunlight, Anna can't help but think that he's never looked sexier to her than he does right now. She's happy when Jason makes them do several more takes. By then, Skylar is shifting uncomfortably as he sits in the grass, and Anna knows she's having an effect on him too.

The second scene is quicker. She's lying with her head in his lap when the direction yells "Action!"

He starts running his fingers slowly through her hair. "So you have a place in Los Angeles already?" he asks, his eyes still fixed on the laptop screen where some movie is playing.

"Yeah," Beca replies. "My dad actually helped me like he promised."

"That's great," Jesse says half-heartedly.

"Jesse," she says quietly. "We've been through this a million times. You can't give up this opportunity in New York for me. I don't want you to resent me forever because of it. I couldn't live with that."

"Can you live without me?" he asks, and she glances up at him.

"I think we at least have to try, and believe that if things are meant to be, they'll be," she answers.

"I never had you pegged as a hopeless romantic, especially with that scary ear spike," he teases, and she punches him lightly in the thigh.

"More like hopeful," she whispers as he kisses the top of her head, and the scene fades away.

"That was great, guys!" Jason yells.

The final scene they're filming for the day is the day of graduation, where Beca will be leaving Jesse, bound for Los Angeles.

He loads her luggage into the trunk of the taxi before turning to her. They say their I love yous and goodbyes, and then he kisses her. This kiss is supposed to be unlike any other they've shared together. It's full of longing, desperation, and sorrow. And afterwards, she climbs into the taxi and cries as it pulls away. At the last possible moment she rolls down the window and loudly sings a few lines of Carry on My Wayward Son as she disappears from sight.

It's emotionally draining, with all the kissing and crying. And by the tenth take Anna is ready to just have it right and go back to the hotel. But it seems to be her that Jason's frustrated with this time. "Anna, give this kiss your all. You think you're never going to see him again. Your heart is breaking. I need to feel it. I need to see it!"

This time, she pours every emotion she's ever had for Skylar into this kiss. The sorrow and jealousy she felt when he was with Camp, the heat and elation of last night, and these new feelings that kind of seem like love go into that kiss, and as she threads her fingers into his hair and deepens it, she hears him sigh into her mouth and she knows he feels it too. She has tears in her eyes as they pull apart and she turns to leave. He's breathing hard, a look of absolute heartbreak on his face, and in that moment the tears flow naturally for her. It's as if she's really saying goodbye to him.

As the scene finishes, Jason yells, "Ok that's a wrap folks!" Anna runs off to her dressing room to change out of Beca's clothing. As she's dressing her phone buzzes with a text from Skylar.

_Will I see you tonight?_

She quickly types a response.

_Yes. I'll be in my room all night. Come up when you're ready._

She glances around at all of Beca's clothing, including underwear. "Hey Susan?" she asks the wardrobe person as she exits the room, "Would you mind if I borrowed something of Beca's for the weekend?"

"Sure no problem," Susan replies, "As long as you have it back by Monday."

Anna returns to the closet and selects a few items, tucking them into her bag before turning to leave. She grabs a quick shower when she gets back to her room, and dresses carefully, waiting for Skylar's arrival. When she hears his soft knock on the door she eagerly opens it to find him standing there in a tight t-shirt and jeans, looking ridiculously handsome as usual. He doesn't say anything as he enters, and as soon as the door clicks shut his lips are on hers, kissing her urgently. He backs her up against the closed door, pressing the full length of his body against hers.

"I've wanted to do this all day," he says between kisses, lowering his lips to her neck and sucking lightly.

"Hey," she scolds, tugging his hair, "No hickeys on the star here."

He laughs, reluctantly pulling away. "You're no fun. Ever hear of make-up?"

"Dude, no!" she laughs, shoving him playfully. "Thank you again for the flowers, by the way. You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," he explains, taking her hand and leading her to the sofa. They sit down together, with her tucked under his arm. "I had a really amazing time last night."

"Me too," she says quietly. "So I hate to be a girl about this," she begins, taking a deep breath, "But after all that's happened lately I find myself wondering what you want here."

"I want you," he replies simply.

"For how long?" she asks.

"For as long as you'll have me," he answers, and her heart does a little flip.

"You know it's going to be complicated," she tells him.

"I love a challenge," he counters.

"And I'm crazy busy. We'll have to juggle things to have any time together," she continues.

"I'll go wherever you are," he says.

"You make it sound so easy," she replies.

"Don't you think you're worth it?" he says, playing with the ends of her hair again, "I mean, anyone who can kiss me the way you did today is well worth the effort."

"You liked that?" she turns to him shyly and finds him staring intently at her.

"Like isn't a strong enough word to describe it," he whispers, his voice dropping an octave. Slowly, he lowers his mouth to hers, kissing her softly. The kiss quickly intensifies and she shifts so that she is kneeling on the sofa between his legs, holding his head firmly with her hands as she hovers over him. Like before, he sighs into the kiss, and she feels heat surging through her body.

"Anna," he breathes, and as the realization hits her that his last girlfriend had the same name she stills, breaking the kiss. He's breathing heavily and looks confused at the loss of contact.

"Anna?" he questions, trying to get her to look at him.

"I have the same name as your last girlfriend," she murmurs, so quietly he almost doesn't hear her.

"Yes, an unfortunate coincidence," he replies, "But you're nothing the same."

She stands and walks several steps away from him. "You really don't get it, do you?" he asks her, and when she doesn't respond he continues, "You're so beautiful, and talented, and intelligent, and sexy. I can't even put it into words. And the way we are together? Wow. Just wow. I promise you, it was never like this with her, or anyone else for that matter."

"Really?" she asks shyly.

"Really," he answers firmly.

Her hands move to the buttons on her shirt, and she begins undoing them one by one, her eyes never breaking contact with his. She lets the shirt slide off her arms and drop to the floor, revealing a very sexy black lacy bra. Her hands move next to her jeans, and she slides them from her hips, showing him that she's wearing matching panties, too. She smiles coyly at him, biting her lip, and he's off the sofa before she can blink. He scoops her up bridal style, kissing her hard as he carries her into the bedroom.

"I think you're going to be the death of me," he says laughing as he places her on the bed and climbs on top of her.

"But what a way to go?" she finishes for him.

And after that, there isn't much need for talking.


	9. Interruptions

He wakes as the morning sun shines across the bed. He opens his eyes and smiles as he sees her draped across him, her hair splayed in every direction. He feels her stir slightly, her eyelashes tickling his chest as she blinks several times, trying to get her bearings. She looks up at him.

"Good morning," she yawns sleepily.

He wraps his arms around her, rolling them on their sides as he holds her tightly to him. "I haven't slept that well in ages," he tells her.

"Me neither," she agrees. She's enjoying the feeling of skin against skin when she hears a knock on the door.

"Ugh," she says, climbing out of bed reluctantly and pulling on a robe. "It's probably the girls being nosy again. I'll get rid of them. Don't move." She winks at him and disappears through the door, closing it behind her.

She opens it and is surprised to see Ben standing there, holding a bakery bag and two cups of coffee.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" he asks.

"No," she answers, "Come on in, Ben."

He enters, handing her one of the cups of coffee. "I brought breakfast. I thought we could talk. I know most everyone is away for the weekend. Skylar said he was visiting his folks. Rebel and Alexis took a road trip."

"Oh," Anna says. Skylar hadn't mentioned that he told people he was going to be out of town for the weekend. She hopes this means he plans to spend all of it with her.

Ben moves to sit down at the table, and she sits with him as he hands her a pastry. "So listen," he begins, "I heard that you might like Skylar, but I need to hear from you. I like you, Anna. A lot. And I guess I need to know for sure if I'm ever going to have a chance with you. Skylar's my friend, and he's great, but I always thought that you and I had a connection. Maybe it was just in my head."

He trails off, and Anna is unsure of what to say. It's at that moment that she realizes that just behind Ben is clear evidence of what went on last night between her and Skylar. There's a trail of his and her clothing leading to the bedroom, two empty wine glasses on the coffee table in front of the sofa, and worst of all, an empty condom wrapper lying unceremoniously in the middle of it all. She tries to keep her composure, hoping he won't turn around and see it.

"Ben," she begins gently, "You know I like you as a friend. You're so sweet, and talented, and kind, but you're right, I do have feelings for Skylar. I'm sorry if this hurts you, because I'd never want to hurt a friend." She pats him on the hand reassuringly.

"Ok," he replies, "Well I had to know for sure. You can't blame a guy for trying," he adds, managing a weak smile before picking up his coffee and turning to leave. He turns around for a moment in his trek towards the door to say, "Well, enjoy the pastries at least." It's at that moment that she sees his eyes scan the room and notice Skylar's clothing.

"I thought you said you were into Skylar," Ben says carefully, anger evident in his tone. "But he's out of town!"

Just as Anna is trying to figure out how to get out of this mess, the bedroom door opens and out walks Skylar, dressed in a robe that matches hers from the hotel. He holds up his hands, walking towards his friend. "Ben, it's ok."

"You told me you were going out of town," Ben insists, his eyes darting between the two of them.

"I lied, and I'm sorry. Anna and I wanted to keep our relationship a secret for now. So please, don't mention this to anyone," Skylar explains.

"So you…and her…are serious?" Ben asks, gesturing to the discarded clothing and the fact that both of them are currently only wearing robes.

"Dixie Chicks serious," Skylar replies, trying to provide a little comic relief to an extremely awkward situation. He walks over to Anna, wrapping his arms around her from behind and leaning her into his chest. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, man. But I'm really happy, and I hope you can be happy for me, too."

Ben looks at Anna, "And you're happy too?" he asks.

"Yes," she answers, as Skylar presses a kiss to the top of her head.

"Ok, well," Ben stutters, clearly trying to figure out how to leave the room, "I guess I'll see you guys around." And with that, he's gone.

Anna sighs heavily as she turns around to face Skylar. "Well that was horribly awkward. I feel so bad for him. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him."

"I know me too," Skylar nods, playing with the ends of her robe belt. He gives it a little tug and it falls open. As he reaches out to grasp her hips and pull her closer, she smiles up at him.

"Someone is insatiable," she teases, untying his robe as he begins to trace small circles on her hips with his thumbs. She snakes her hands under his robe and around his waist, pulling his body flush against hers.

"Somehow I think it isn't just me," he grins, lowering his mouth to hers. And soon, their robes join the trail of clothing leading to the bedroom.

They spend the rest of the weekend together. They talk about everything from their childhoods to their parents and families. She opens up to him more about her past relationships, and he does the same. She's enjoying just being with him, and he can't believe how compatible they are. Everything seems natural with her.

They make love frequently, and the only clothing they put on the whole weekend is those terrycloth robes. At one point she attempts to shower alone, only to have him join her a few minutes later, his mouth hungrily attached to hers and his body pressing her against the cool tile wall. She loves how passionate he is about everything, and he loves how open and honest she is. By the time Sunday night rolls around, they're both feeling confident about where the relationship is headed so far.

He gives her a long, lingering kiss on the lips as he turns to go. "I'll miss you tonight," he tells her softly.

"Me too," she whispers, pressing one final kiss to his mouth before releasing him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight beautiful," he says before disappearing into the hallway.

Only she doesn't see him tomorrow, or the next day, or even the day after that. She's filming all the Bellas scenes, and he's in the recording studio and filming scenes with Ben. They text each other occasionally, but he hasn't been up to her room since the weekend. He tells her that by the time he's finished working each day he's too exhausted to do anything but sleep and she knows the feeling well. But still, she misses him.

Skylar is going crazy. He desperately wants to just see her or talk to her, and he's growing more frustrated and distracted by the minute. He keeps telling himself it's only a few days, and that when this film wraps it's going to be even harder with them in different places with different schedules. But their relationship is new, and his heart and body don't seem to be getting the memo. He's pacing his trailer one day late in the week when he hears a quiet knock on the door. He flings it open to see her standing there, and she quickly pushes past him. She's kissing him before the door clicks behind her, and her hands are everywhere. She's pulling eagerly at his clothes in an attempt to remove them.

"Careful," he warns, "These are property of Jesse Swanson."

"I don't care," she grits out, and he laughs as he pulls his shirt over his head. They quickly shed the rest of their clothing, and she leads him toward the couch, pulling him down on top of her. It's cold in the trailer and he covers them partially with a blanket as he moves over her. It's desperate, and quick, and within minutes she's breathing his name over and over again. He's so wrapped up in her that he almost doesn't hear the sounds of someone else knocking on the trailer door followed by the sound of it opening.

"Skylar?" he hears a shocked voice say, and he turns to see Beth standing there, her mouth agape. "Anna Kendrick?" she says, recognizing the girl beneath him.

He pulls the blanket up, covering them as much as possible, and it about to open his mouth to explain when they hear the door slam as Beth leaves. He jumps up, scrambling to put on his clothes and chase after her. "I need to fix this," he says to Anna as he runs out the door, still throwing his shirt on in the process.

Anna dresses quickly, waiting for him to come back.

"Beth!" Skylar calls, running after her. She spins around, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you want, Skylar?" she says angrily, and he's taken aback.

"I want to explain what you saw," he says, "Anna and I are together, it's just not public knowledge yet and I'd like to keep it that way."

"I just thought we'd had a nice moment the other day while filming, and I was going to ask if you wanted to grab dinner sometime. I guess I was mistaken," Beth says, still looking mad.

"Look, I'm sorry if I did anything to mislead you," he says honestly. "I hope you can respect our privacy and keep what you saw to yourself."

She nods, but doesn't say anything. He jogs back to the trailer, hoping that Anna is still there. "Sorry about that," he says. "Turns out she had a crush on me after talking to me for like five seconds the other day. Next time let's remember to lock the door!"

She shakes her head, "I guess you can't help it if you're irresistible," she jokes.

He hugs her, holding her tightly against him. "I really missed you," he says quietly.

"I missed you too," she replies, learning her head on his chest. They stand there for a moment before he tilts her chin up and slowly lowers his mouth to hers. The kiss is just beginning to grow in intensity when the trailer door squeaks open once more.

"Skylar?" a female voice says, and they both look up to see Anna Camp standing there.

They really need to lock that door.


	10. Declarations

For a long moment, the three of them just stare at each other. Skylar is the one who finally breaks the silence.

"Camp?" he asks, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you," she explains, "I was starting to think that maybe I'd made a mistake breaking up with you, but obviously you've already moved on."

"I'm sorry if it hurts you to see me with Anna so soon after our breakup, but weren't you the one who said I should follow my heart?" he is visibly agitated, and Anna instinctively reaches for his hand.

"Oh, so she's Anna to you when all you've ever called me is 'Camp'?" Camp scowls.

"You were introduced to me as Camp. Everyone here calls you Camp. If you didn't like it you should've told me," Skylar says, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Maybe I should go," Anna says quietly to Skylar.

"No, stay," Camp says to her, looking at their joined hands, "I was a fool for thinking you cared about me, Skylar. I was obviously only ever your second choice."

"That's not true. I did care about you. I still do. I just want you to be happy," Skylar insists.

"I should have known," Camp says, more to herself, "When you wouldn't get rid of her GQ edition, or how you kept obsessing over whether she'd do the sequel, or how you would always mention where she was filming." She trails off, and Skylar gives Anna's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"My feelings for Anna never diminished my feelings for you. It's just different, is all. I don't regret the time we were together, and I hope you don't either. It made me who I am today, and I'm better because of it. Please don't soil what we had together because you're feeling hurt now. You'll find the right person for you, because you're great," Skylar tells Camp.

Camp rolls her eyes, shaking her head at him. She turns to Anna. "I hope he doesn't bore you in the sack like he did me."

"Camp!" Skylar warns, "I think it's time that you go."

Camp turns to open the door. "Don't worry," Anna tells her, "It's not like that with us." She gives her a warm smile, and Camp is seething as she leaves.

Skylar locks the door firmly behind her. "Lesson learned," he points out to Anna, who laughs. "I'm sorry you had to witness that."

"It's ok," Anna replies, "She's just hurting right now, but she'll get over it. Break ups are hard."

"I feel awful," he says, "Because in a way she's right. I have always liked you, but you weren't available, and I never thought you'd return my feelings. It's not like I thought I was settling for her at the time, but when you look back it sure seems like it."

She walks over to him, hugging him tightly. "Is it true what she said about the GQ magazine? Did you really keep it?"

"Keep it?" he replies incredulously, "That thing is like my Bible. I remember when it showed up in the mail, I had no idea you had done a photo shoot. And then at first I almost didn't recognize you, because it was so different from your usual photographs. Holy hell, Anna. You were smokin' hot in there. Camp kept trying to recycle the thing and I kept fishing it out of the bin. I finally hid it under my mattress."

"Like a teenager hiding porn from his mother!" Anna teases, laughing. "Want me to recreate a few poses for you?" She jumps up on the arm of the couch, sitting and leaning back while chewing on her finger suggestively. He gapes at her.

"Not fair," he says, "Because my break is over and I have to head back to the set and finish up with the Trebles."

"Yeah, I have to head back to the Bellas," she replies. She gives him a slow, lingering kiss before turning to leave. "Will I see you tonight?" she asks hopefully.

"I'll be there, if only just to sleep," he promises, and she smiles as she leaves.

There's a murmuring on the set when Anna returns. The girls are huddled together, talking about something, but as soon as one of them sees her it breaks up immediately, no one willing to make eye contact with her. "Ok guys, spill," she tells them, "What's up?"

"Camp was just here," Rebel says, coming forward, "Ranting and raving about how she walked in on you and Skylar making out."

The girls are all looking at Anna expectantly, their curiosity evident. "Ok, yes," Anna begins, "Skylar and I are together, and have been for about a week now. It's new, and we know that a lot of you are friends with Camp, so we were trying to keep it private for now. We were going to tell everyone once things got serious."

"So are things serious?" Alexis wonders.

"Well…yes," Anna answers. "We really care about each other."

"Do you love him?" Hana Mae asks.

Anna pauses. It's not the first time she's thought about this question, but she's never vocalized it before. "Yes, I do," she replies.

"Awwww," the girls say in unison, and Anna rolls her eyes at them.

"Is he good in bed?" Rebel asks.

Anna blushes a dark red, and covers her face in her hands. "I'll take that as a yes!" Rebel yells happily, and they all laugh.

Meanwhile, across the set, Skylar is facing a similar scene. The guys are a little bit blunter about it than the girls. "So dude, we hear you and Kendrick are hooking up!" Adam says.

Skylar notices that Ben backs off a little from the group, and won't look at him directly. "Yeah," he says, "But it's not just hooking up. We're together. We've been seeing each other for about a week now."

"What's she like?" Michael asks. "She's hot, that's for sure."

"She's amazing," Skylar replies.

"You lucky bastard," Utkarsh says, smacking him on the back, "None of us could get a woman like her."

"And believe us, we've tried!" David exclaims, and everyone laughs.

They spend the next few hours filming, and it's around dinner time when they finally wrap for the day. Skylar picks up his phone to text Anna, and there are a zillion missed calls, voicemails, and texts from practically everyone he knows.

"The cat's out of the bag," he says out loud before typing his message to Anna.

_Want me to bring dinner to your place in a half hour or so?_

She picks up her phone as it buzzes, and is met with a similar display of calls, texts, and messages.

_Sure thing, sounds great._

By the time he arrives, even her publicist has called her, asking about details of her relationship with Skylar. She gives the woman vague answers, saying that yes they are dating, but that she wants to keep the details private.

"I think we blew up Tumblr and Twitter simultaneously," she tells him as she opens the door.

"News travels fast," he agrees, shaking his head. "I guess we'll just have to wait it out. It will die out eventually when something juicier comes along."

"Have you seen my Twitter?" she asks him, "I have about a hundred people with names almost identical to mine telling the world they're dating you. I tried to check it a few minutes ago, and there were so many messages it crashed my phone!"

"So take a little hiatus from everything until things calm down. We're the romantic leads in two big movies now, people are going to be excited about it," he replies, handing her the bag of Taco Bell that he brought for their dinner.

She looks down at it and smiles, "Oh my God I love you!" she says throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. "How did you know that this was exactly what I needed?"

He freezes, wondering if she meant what she said, or even if she realizes it. Anna pulls back for a minute and looks into his eyes. "I meant it," she says, seemingly reading his mind yet again, "I love you Skylar."

"I love you too," he says, kissing her softly.

"You do?" she asks.

"Yes," he replies. "I was waiting for the perfect time to tell you."

"Sorry," she smiles at him. "But Taco Bell is clearly the way into my heart."

He laughs, reaching into the bag and handing out the food.

"The girls asked how you are in bed," she tells him, and he nearly chokes.

"And what did you tell them?" he says, still coughing.

"I didn't say anything, and Rebel just assumed from my expression that you're great. Which you are, for the record," she adds.

"Why thank you. The guys were asking me questions about you too. They all think you're hot, by the way, and said I was lucky to have you," he winks at her.

"Yeah right," she shakes her head, tossing her hair playfully around, "You know me and my constant entourage of men following me around. Ah, woe is me."

They're both laughing again. "I'm glad you're here," she tells him.

"Me too," he says. They finish eating, trading stories of the day.

"Are you staying over?" she asks as she gets up from the table and starts clearing it off.

"I guess I _can_ now that everyone knows about us," he replies. He kicks off his shoes and sits on the sofa, patting the space beside him.

"I'm going to go change, I'll be right back," she tells him, disappearing into the bedroom.

He switches on the television, flipping through the channels as he waits for her to return. It seems like she's taking an awfully long time, so he stands and knocks on the bedroom door. "Anna? Are you ok in there?"

"I'll be out in a minute," she calls to him, so he settles himself back on the sofa. A minute later, she emerges, wearing black stilettos, a black blazer, and nothing else. She's done her makeup differently, and teased her hair out so that it has more volume than usual. He swallows hard as she perches on the edge of table they just finished eating on and crosses her legs, letting the blazer fall open and revealing something lacy underneath.

"So," she says, her tone sultry, "A tall blonde ex-birdie told me that you might have enjoyed those GQ photos, so I thought I'd recreate them for you."

She leans forward, giving him a clear view of her cleavage, and he can't take his eyes off her. "Besides," she adds, "We didn't get to finish what we started this afternoon…unless, you're too tired?"

He's on his feet in a flash. He walks over to her, running his hand up her bare thigh and fingering the soft lace underneath her blazer. "Definitely not too tired," he smiles, uncrossing her legs and standing between them. He leans down, capturing her lips with his own, kissing her breathless.

"Those chumps are right," he smiles into her lips, "I am one lucky guy. Hopefully you won't grow bored of me. Apparently I have that effect on women."

"We'll just have to make sure to keep things interesting," she replies, trailing her fingers down his chest. He shivers under the sensation.

"I think we'll manage," he breathes, returning his mouth to hers. As she wraps her legs around his waist, he pushes her blazer off her shoulders and to the floor. "I love you, Anna Kendrick," he whispers into her ear as he carries her in the direction of the bedroom.

"I love you too, Skylar Astin _Lipstein_," she returns, and he chuckles as he lowers her to the bed. "Death of me," he murmurs as she pulls him on top of her.

But what a way to go.

**A/N: For those of you who've asked, there's a reason why I'm not mentioning specific songs in this story. It's because I can't even begin to imagine what songs they might use for the movie, and I have no ability to mix/mash-up songs Beca style. And so, for now I'm going to let you, my readers, decide what songs you think they're singing. **

**There is no relationship between Stephanie from my other stories and Beth from this story other than the fact that they are both tall and blonde. I make my antagonists tall and blonde because I am neither (and Camp is).**

**If there's anything you'd like to see happen in this story, let me know!**


	11. Confessions

They wake the next morning wrapped around each other. She yawns and stretches, slinging her arm across his chest.

"Morning," he says with a yawn.

"Ready to get up and face the music?" she asks, and he laughs, realizing her double meaning.

"No," he says, pulling her closer to him, "I think we should stay here forever."

"As much as I'd love to, I think we'll get fired. You have to get back to filming Ground Floor as soon as this wraps, and I already signed on to do Zach Braff's newest movie," she explains.

"Do you watch Ground Floor?" he wonders.

"Yes, of course," she replies, sitting up a little so she can look at him, "I wouldn't miss a chance to see you in those sexy banker suits and ties. Plus, you sing sometimes on the show."

"You like the suits?" he smiles at her, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "And the singing?" he adds.

"Um, yes," she responds, "You know you're an amazing singer. And the show is funny. And you look hot. My only problem with it is that you have to kiss Briga constantly."

"Like this?" he says softly, pulling her down to him and kissing her. Just as the kiss begins to deepen in intensity she pulls back a little.

"So you've never told me what you thought of me when we first met," he says.

"Honestly?" she asks and he nods, "I thought you were cute, and charming, and kind of a flirt. You talked so easily with all of the girls, and I didn't think I stood out to you in any way. And then you started hanging out with Camp all of the time, and I just thought you were a typical guy, always going for the blonde."

He laughs, "Gee, thanks."

"And then you sang and I thought you were amazing. I could listen to you sing forever. And those dance moves?" She imitates a few of them, "Sexy."

He laughs again, burying his face into his pillow.

"You're sure you're ok with the fact that I'm a brunette, right? Because I tried blonde for a role and it didn't work for me," she tells him.

"How's this for sure?" he murmurs into her ear as he rolls her over, pressing her into the mattress with his body and kissing her passionately.

"Works for me," she answers breathlessly, deciding that it's ok if they're a few minutes late to the set this morning.

There's a hoard of paparazzi waiting for them outside, so they do their bests to disguise themselves and leave separately from the back entrance of the hotel.

When he arrives, she's already on set waiting to begin filming. He sees her across the room, sitting in her chair laughing at something on her phone.

"What's so funny?" he asks her as he sits down next to her.

"Zach is ribbing me about all the tabloid stuff involving you and me," Anna explains.

"Zach Braff?" Skylar questions, "I didn't know you guys were friends. I mean I saw that you tweeted him a few times."

"Yeah, we're friends," she replies, "I was supposed to be in his movie Wish I Was Here, but my schedule wouldn't allow it, so Ashley Greene replaced me. He was disappointed because he'd written the role for me, and since then we've had a back and forth thing going on. He's basically hounded me ever since to do one of his movies, so when his next project started, he wouldn't stop until I agreed to do it."

"My girlfriend is a hot commodity!" Skylar teases her, and she rolls her eyes.

"Please," she shakes her head, "All you'd have to do is throw on one of those banker suits and start singing, and any girl would fall at your feet."

"You flatter me," he responds, smiling, "It's really a shame for them, you know, because I'm taken."

She kisses him on the lips, earning a few catcalls from the surrounding crew. "And don't you forget it," she says with a wink before turning to leave. As she walks away he can hear laugh again at something Zach's said and he can't help but feel a tightening in his chest. Even if Anna herself doesn't get it, he knows that men are interested in her, and he knows there are going to be many challenges ahead in their relationship once their schedules change. He turns around and watches as she chats with a few of the crew men before going in the direction of her dressing room, and they all check her out as she walks away. She really doesn't get it.

They have a few musical scenes together, but there isn't much time for talking the rest of the day. Rebel comes up to them after they wrap for the day.

"So we're having a little party for Adam's birthday later on at the hotel," she explains. "We've rented out the pool and it's going to be catered and everything. Nothing fancy, just the cast hanging out, eating, drinking, and swimming. Will you come?"

Anna and Skylar look at each other, "Sure," they say in unison.

"Great!" Rebel says excitedly, bouncing away to talk to Alexis.

"I guess I'll just see you there?" Skylar asks Anna before giving her a quick kiss and turning to leave. She's relieved that she thought to pack a swimsuit, since with the Pitch Perfect cast you just never know what to expect. She's looking forward to spending the evening with her friends and Skylar.

She dresses for the party and heads down to the pool right as it starts. When she arrives, Brittany, Rebel, Alexis, Adam, and Ben are already there. One by one, the rest of the cast and some of the crew arrive. Anna is relieved when it doesn't seem like Camp will be coming. Skylar arrives and greets her, giving her a peck on the cheek before going off to hang out with the guys. She's happy to be sitting with the girls sipping her drink. She watches as Skylar pulls off his t-shirt, leaving him only in his swim trunks which hang low on his hips. He kicks off his flip-flops and jumps into the pool, and as he emerges from underwater tiny droplets run down his bare chest. Anna can't help herself. She's just staring at him.

Rebel smiles, noticing, "You've got quite a piece of man candy there, huh?"

"Uh huh," Anna replies absently, placing her drink on the table and standing. She pulls of her shirt and shorts to reveal a royal blue bikini that fits her perfectly and leaves little to the imagination.

"Damn girl," Brittany says with raised eyebrows, "Skylar's not going to be able to take his eyes off you in that."

"Or his hands!" Alexis exclaims, laughing.

Anna rolls her eyes as she walks towards the pool steps and slowly gets into the water. Ben notices her first, and soon all pairs of male eyes turn in her direction. Adam whistles loudly and Skylar swims over to her. The other girls are jumping in the pool all around her, and some of them are starting up a volleying game with a beach ball.

Rebel is perched on the side of the pool soaking her feet, "I don't want to give any of you flat butts heart palpitations from seeing me in a bathing suit," she explains with a wink.

Skylar reaches Anna and scoops her up from behind, pressing a quick kiss to the base of her neck. They join in the volleyball game, and it doesn't escape Skylar's attention that the other guys continue to stare at Anna every time she jumps out of the water to get the ball. They hear a distant ringing sound, and Amy gets up to walk over to the table.

"Hey Kendrick!" she calls, "It's Zach Braff calling your cell! Want me to take a message for you?"

"Dear God no!" Anna replies, laughing, but Rebel has already picked up the phone.

"Hey Zach!" she says, "It's Rebel here. I'm acting as Kendrick's personal secretary since her fine ass is too busy playing with her man candy boy toy."

"Rebel!" Anna exclaims, quickly getting out of the pool and snatching the phone away from Rebel. "Hey Zach, sorry about that," she says, and then walks out of earshot to continue the conversation. She talks to him for a few minutes before returning to the pool and jumping back in with the others.

"What was that about?" Skylar asks her.

"He wanted to let me know about a few scheduling changes for the movie," she explains.

"Are you going to have any time off between this and that?" he asks.

"Maybe a week or two at most. It's going to be tight, especially if we run late," she replies.

"Oh. Well I was hoping we'd have a little time together in L.A. before you had to leave," he says.

"We will. Probably not long, but we'll just have to make the most of it," she answers with a smile.

They continue splashing around and talking with their friends. When Skylar gets out of the pool for a while to get something to drink, Anna feels someone swim under her, and before she knows what's happening, she's lifted up out of the water on Adam's shoulders.

"Adam!" she scolds, "Put me down!"

"No way, AK-47," he says drunkenly, "I'm the birthday boy and you're hot. You're a gift I'd like to unwrap," he flirts lamely.

Adam puts her down when he sees Skylar coming back towards the pool, his eyes narrowed. It's in this moment that Ben decides to scoop her up, his hand not-so accidentally brushing the side of her breast as he does so.

"Did you just try to cop a feel?" she asks incredulously, trying to get out of his grasp.

"You're just so sexy, I can't help it," Ben slurs, and before she can respond, Skylar is beside her.

"Ben," he says firmly, "Put her down." Ben complies and he takes Anna by the hand, pulling her close to him.

"Listen, all of you," he says to the guys, "Anna and I are together, she's with me now, and I expect you all to respect that. And if you can't, you better say so now."

"Dude, it's cool," Adam says, holding his hands up in mock-surrender, "We were just messing around is all."

Ben doesn't say anything; he just looks mortified as Skylar leads Anna to the far end of the pool by the steps.

"Are you ok?" he asks her quietly and she nods, sitting on the steps beside him.

"They were just playing around. Although Ben did kind of grab my boob," she says, cringing a little at the memory. "But they're all drunk off their asses. They didn't mean anything by it."

"No, but they're attracted to you," Skylar replies quietly, "As I'm sure Zach is too. Or anyone who lays eyes on you in this bikini. I seriously think you're trying to torture me."

"You poor baby," she smiles, moving to sit in his lap. She can feel the electricity flowing between them as she kisses him lightly. She starts to pull away, but Skylar reaches up and anchors her lips to his, holding her head in his hands. He deepens the kiss, and before she realizes that all of their friends are watching she has her legs wrapped around his waist and her chest pressed to his.

"Damn, get a room!" Rebel yells loudly, and Anna pulls away from Skylar abruptly. They're both breathing hard as she puts a little distance between them before climbing out of the pool and grabbing a towel. She wraps it around herself, trying to conceal the blush that's spread across her skin.

Skylar swims across the pool over to the rest of the guys. "You two are so adorable together!" Brittany says warmly as he passes her.

"Adorable?" Adam jests, clapping Skylar on the back, "More like hot, you lucky bastard!"

And still, Ben says nothing. Skylar looks over at him. "Can I talk to you a minute?"

The two get out of the pool and walk over to one of the tables. "Look," Skylar begins, "I'm really sorry that you got hurt in all of this. And I'm sure it must be uncomfortable for you, but Anna and I really care about each other, and I hope that we can all still be friends."

"I'm sorry man," Ben says, not making eye contact, "I didn't mean to touch her. It was an accident. I'll admit it, I'm really, really jealous of you guys. I'd be lying if I said I didn't still want Anna for myself, but I get that she doesn't want me back."

"Plenty more fish in the sea," Skylar replies, giving Ben's shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he stands to leave.

"Yeah, but none quite like her," Ben murmurs, looking over at Anna who is now laughing with her friends as she towels off her damp hair. Skylar smiles as he watches her. He settles himself in one of the lounge chairs to dry off for a while. When Anna walks over to him, he pulls her by the hand onto his lap and she settles herself between his legs, leaning back onto his chest. He wraps his arms around her, his fingers tracing absently on the bare skin of her stomach.

A bunch of the others join them, taking nearby chairs as they talk about the movie and share stories that have all of them laughing. Skylar is enjoying the feel of her skin against his and the way she seems to fit perfectly in his arms. He's having trouble concentrating on what the others are saying. He knows they still have a few more weeks left of filming, but he's already worrying about what might happen afterwards. It's almost as if he already misses Anna even though she's currently in his arms. He presses a kiss to the shell of her ear and smiles when he feels her shiver.

"Well, isn't this just perfect?" a shrill voice says out of nowhere, and they all turn to see Camp standing there in a one piece swimsuit and cover-up with a sour expression on her face. Anna moves to get up, but Skylar keeps his arms firmly around her.

"Come to crash my party?" Adam asks her.

"No," Camp scowls, "I thought I might come to hang out with people I thought were my _friends_, but I guess I was mistaken."

Brittany stands up and walks over to her, "Please, you're embarrassing yourself. We all think of you as a friend. Don't take your anger out on us. It's not fair to make us choose between all of you."

"Whatever," Camp says, narrowing her eyes at Anna and Skylar, "Well don't you two look cozy."

"They do," Rebel interjects, "And things would be a lot easier on everyone if you would just try to be happy for them and move on, for all our sakes."

Camp rolls her eyes, "Fine, whatever," she says, crossing her arms dramatically over her chest. She walks over to the bar, and Ben jumps out of his chair and scurries over to her.

Anna laughs, leaning over to whisper in Skylar's ear, "Now they'd make a cute couple, don't you think?" She buries her face into his neck as he laughs, snuggling closer to him.

It's getting late, and Anna's hair has long since dried in loose curls as they throw on their shirts and say their goodbyes for the night. Camp and Ben end up talking most of the night off to the side of the party, and Anna couldn't be happier. "Two birds with one stone," she says to Brittany with a grin as she takes Skylar's hand and they bid everyone goodnight.

They're tired as they get into the elevator, their hands still joined as the doors close.

"Hey," Skylar says, his voice husky as he pulls her to him. "Did I mention how sexy you look tonight?"

"Ditto," she replies, tracing his muscles with her fingertips, "I might opt for this over the banker suits, actually."

"Oh really?" he answers smugly, reaching underneath her shirt and pulling the knot holding her bikini top loose.

"Really," she answers, skimming her fingers under the waistband of his swim trunks. By the time the elevator reaches her floor, they're well into their make out session. He backs her towards the door to the suite as she reaches behind herself, fumbling to unlock it with her key card.

He doesn't know how long this electric connection, this passion and intensity between them is going to last. He hopes forever as the door closes behind them and she's pressing his back against it as her lips do wonderful things to his neck.

He just can't seem to get enough of her, and when her royal blue bikini bottoms hit the floor a moment later, he knows he never will.


	12. Changes

It's a gradual thing, but Anna notices that slowly, Skylar has moved into the hotel suite with her for the duration of filming. At first, it's only subtle changes, like the appearance of a second toothbrush in the bathroom, or one of his shirts hanging in the closet. Then she observes his laundry folded next to hers by the hotel service, and his shaving supplies and cologne on the bathroom counter. When his suitcases finally appear, she decides to point out the obvious.

"So have you informed the hotel that your room is no longer needed?" she asks him one evening.

"Yeah, like weeks ago," he grins at her. "I figured I was staying here every night anyway, so why bother keeping up the pretense and wasting the studio's money? Plus, this room is much nicer than mine was."

It amazes her how easily they fall into the roles of being a couple. She's learning a lot about him, and part of her is really dreading the end of filming because she isn't sure what it will mean for their relationship. The holidays are coming up, and then right after the New Year she is set to begin filming with Zach.

Much too quickly, the movie reaches completion and it's time for the wrap party. They're heading back to L.A. tomorrow, where she'll be for a few days before packing another bag and flying out to her hometown in Maine for Christmas.

He's trying not to show her that he's on the verge of panicking. He knows that he's going to miss her so much, and he isn't sure how he's going to handle it. It's frightening to him how much he needs her in his life already.

"Hey," she says as they dress for the wrap party that night, "I know Hanukah is just beginning, but I wanted to give you this." She hands him a small, wrapped package.

"You didn't have to," he tells her, "And I haven't had time to get you something for Christmas yet."

"I wanted to," she says softly.

He tears off the paper and opens the lid to the box. Inside is a black skinny tie that at first glance looks plain, but when you look closely there are tiny microphones sewn onto it in a subtle pattern. Underneath it he finds a money clip with a treble clef on it.

"So you can always remember the Trebles and our first official date," she explains, putting the tie on him and tying the knot carefully at his neck.

"As if I'd ever forget," he whispers, "Thank you." He kisses her softly and smiles. "So I was wondering if after Christmas you'd like to visit me in New York for New Year's."

"And meet your family?" she asks.

"Yes, if that's ok with you. It's just that they're really important to me, and they've been bugging me about meeting you," he answers.

"Really?" she says, surprised, "Were they disappointed when you broke up with Camp? Be honest."

"Honestly? No, I don't think so. They would never say so, but I know it didn't thrill them that she was married before. My mom even hinted at the fact that I was a marriage-wrecker, even though I promised her that we waited until she was divorced to really start our relationship. Plus, I think my dad worried that our age differences would mean we'd want different things in life at different times."

"You were only five years apart. We're two," Anna reminds him, "It's not like me and Edgar. Though I know for a fact that my parents didn't think he was marriage material."

"Do you want to get married someday?" he asks.

"I'd like to, yes," she replies thoughtfully, "Because I see how happy my parents are together. But I worry about what a Hollywood life means for marriage. Celebs don't exactly have the best relationship track records, you know."

"Some do," he counters, "But I know what you mean. My parents are happy together too, and I'm one of four children, so I'd like to have a family of my own someday."

"I think marriages take work, a lot of work, and it would be even harder with a Hollywood life and schedule. I mean what if you were to be in a movie with some tall blonde, find you have crazy hot chemistry together, and leave me for her?"

"But I already have a short brunette who I love, and the crazy hot chemistry is just an added bonus," he raises his eyebrows at her as she pulls him closer by his tie.

"Or maybe some chick will see you in this suit and fall madly in love with you, refusing to take no for an answer," she continues.

"Then I'll have her surgically removed from me and head back to you at my earliest opportunity," he grins smugly. "Trust me, you're not the one who has to worry in this. I mean, look at you in that dress. Stunning. I'm not the famous one with all the connections, box office hits, and awards shows here."

"I'll bring you to the awards shows. They're really not all that entertaining," she smirks, "And the heels are a killer."

"I'll carry you," he jokes back, and she laughs, "We'll piggy-back up the red carpet."

She grows quiet for a minute, thoughtful, "Ok, I'll meet your family on one condition," she replies before adding, "You come to Portland first for Christmas and meet mine."

He hugs her tightly, "Sounds perfect," he answers, knowing he's going to make the most of the holidays with her. He already has a gift in mind. He just needs to purchase it. "So what's the game plan for tonight in dealing with the press?"

"Oh, right," she looks up at him, "Either we hide or give them a show. They already know we're dating, so I guess there's no reason to hide."

"Ok," he smiles, pecking her lips lightly, careful not to smudge her makeup, "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," she nods and he leads them to the door, opening it for her.

They take the elevator to the lobby, and as the doors open she looks up at him, "Brace yourself for the crazy," she says with a smile. Thankfully, the lobby is relatively quiet as they make their way to the hotel entrance where a limo is waiting to take them to the party. The automatic doors slide open, and someone yells, "Look, it's Skylar and Anna!"

Anna reaches for Skylar's hand as they walk outside together, a flurry of flashes and a scurry of cameramen trying to get the perfect shot blocking their way to the limousine. Feeling overwhelmed, Anna looks up at Skylar and smiles when she realizes that he seems unfazed by any of it. She feels a rush of love for him and reaches up to tilt his head down, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. A hundred flash bulbs go off as she quickly grabs his hand again, dragging him in the direction of the car. They both climb in, happy to close the doors behind them as the paparazzi scramble around the car for one last shot.

"Wow," Skylar breathes a sigh of relief as the car starts moving.

"Not used to being attacked when all you're trying to do is go to a party?" Anna jokes half-heartedly.

"No, not at all," Skylar replies, "I mean paps are frequently trying to get my photo, but nothing like that. They definitely didn't seem to care as much when I was with Camp, but I guess I'm in the big leagues now."

"I used to like to hang out with Edgar in secret locations, where they couldn't find us," she replies, "Though sometimes they still would. Sometimes I miss just being normal."

"Somehow I think that you were never normal," Skylar corrects her, "You were born to stand out. In fact, I never met someone so short who attracted so much attention to herself."

"Shut up," she smacks him playfully on the arm. "They're only paying attention because I'm with you now."

"We do look pretty hot together," he says smugly, earning a laugh from her. "So how long before that picture of us kissing goes viral?"

"It probably already has," she laughs again. They face a similar scene at the entrance to the party where cameramen have set up waiting for the cast to arrive. Skylar holds Anna's hand tightly as they enter, and is happy to be free of the press for the evening as they aren't permitted inside the party. There's plenty of food, drinks, and dancing going on, and they're happy to be with their friends for one last night.

Of course Camp is there, but she thankfully ignores them as she enters and goes off to mingle with the others. Skylar pulls Anna onto the dance floor to join Rebel, Alexis, Utkarsh, and Brittany who are already dancing in a group. They're having a great time eating, drinking, dancing, talking, and laughing. When slower songs play Skylar is sure to pull Anna close, holding her tightly as they sway together.

"I know this is going to sound stupid," he says into her ear as they dance, "But I keep looking at my watch, dreading the end of the night. It's been amazing, being here with you, falling in love with you, and I just don't want it to end."

"It doesn't sound stupid at all," she replies, stroking his cheek with the back of her hand, "I feel the same way, but we have to look at this change as a beginning, not an ending."

"I can do that," he says, leaning down to kiss her. He takes his time, his lips slowly memorizing the feel of hers as they move together. He breaks the kiss and buries his face into her hair, wrapping himself around her.

Eventually, the party comes to an end, and Skylar leads her through the throngs of paparazzi back to the limo. The ride back to the hotel is relatively silent, as they just hold each other. He takes her hand and cuts through the crowd waiting for them back at the hotel and walks her to the elevator. No words are spoken as they ride up to the top floor and open the suite door. When the door closes behind them he takes her hand again, leading her to the bedroom that they've shared for the past month. Her heart begins pounding in her chest as he stares at her intently, brushing her hair off her shoulders as he steps closer.

Slowly, painstakingly, he undresses her, helping her step out of her dress as it pools at her feet. She does the same, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt and pants, until both of them are left only in their underwear. They climb into bed and he holds her close, kissing every inch of skin on her body reverently while she traces the planes of his chest and back with her nimble fingers. He wants to memorize everything about her, and as he looks into her eyes and kisses her, he finally understands what Jason was telling him to do all those weeks ago. He finally gets how Jesse feels about having to leave Beca.

"I love you," he whispers to her.

"I love you too," she replies, cradling his face in her hands as she looks into his eyes. They make love slowly, savoring each moment they have together. And afterwards, as they lay together with no discernable space between them, he realizes that this tightening feeling in the pit of his stomach, this desperation, is what real love feels like.

Anna is staring up at the ceiling, Skylar's body partially covering hers. Only his weight on top of her isn't why she feels like she's suffocating suddenly. It's hitting her like a ton of bricks, the fact that they're boarding a plane tomorrow and everything is about to change. And she doesn't want it to, because for the first time in her life, she's experiencing absolute perfection.

"You know I was with Edgar for four years," she says, breaking the long silence, "And I believed I was in love with him. You don't stay with someone that long if you don't care about them. But I was wrong."

He looks at her incredulously, because for what seems like the millionth time, she seems to have read his mind. He stays quiet, letting her continue.

"Because I didn't really know what love was until you," she finishes.

"How is it that you always know what I'm thinking? That you always feel the same way at the same time?" he asks, pulling her on top of him.

"I was going to say something incredibly cheesy like we're meant to be, or we're soul mates, or we belong together," she replies, "And I've never really believed in any of that."

"Until now," he finishes, and she laughs into his chest.

"Stop doing that!" she insists, but she's smiling.

"Never," he whispers, kissing her passionately.

And they can both feel it, that this moment is life changing, that it will define them for years to come. Because when you experience true love, real love, there's just nothing else in life that compares to it.

And nothing compares to how they are together, either.

**A/N:** I know I skipped ahead in time a little for this story, but I want to progress the storyline and couldn't while they were still filming. So…I jumped it forward a little. I hope it is ok with you!


	13. Perfection

Anna unlocks the front door to her house. The air is stale inside, having been uninhabited for months. She sets down her bags and opens some of the windows, eager to air out the place. She's exhausted from her flight and the fact that she got very little sleep the previous night. The knot in her stomach that formed as Skylar gave her a lingering kiss goodbye still hasn't dissipated.

She looks around the house, and it's filled with pictures of friends and family, and it's then that she realizes that she doesn't even have a photo of him. She picks up her phone and Googles their names, and sure enough the photo of them kissing last night appears. She switches on her printer, sending the picture to print as she glances out the window. It's only been a few hours, and she can't believe how much she already misses him.

Meanwhile, Skylar's plane has landed in New York City. He's already noticing a change. People are recognizing him more often, and he knows it isn't because of Ground Floor's success, but rather his new, famous girlfriend. Everywhere he turns, people are asking him about Anna. He brushes them off as he tries to keep a low profile during the trip.

His mother is waiting to pick him up after he collects his baggage. He's relieved to climb into the safety of her car, away from all the prying eyes and camera phones. "Hi Mom," he says warmly, giving the older woman a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi honey, how was your trip?" she asks.

"Interesting," he replies, "People actually know who I am now."

"Could it have anything to do with your very popular girlfriend?" his mother, Meryl asks.

"Probably," he smiles as his mother pulls out of the airport.

"Just don't forget," Meryl says, "That you're talented all on your own. You're always going to be more than just Anna Kendrick's boyfriend."

"Mom," Skylar sighs, shaking his head, "Of course I know that, and Anna knows that. It really isn't like that with us. And I'm not with her because I want the fame and recognition that comes along with it. We really care about each other, you'll see."

"She just seems so…I don't know, different," Meryl replies. "I mean I've read some of her posts on the Twitter, and read articles about her, and I just want to be sure you're protecting yourself."

"From what, Mom?" Skylar asks, slightly annoyed. "Yes, Anna has a sense of humor, and she's incredibly intelligent and funny, but when it comes to the important stuff, we're the same. And I know it's in your DNA to worry, but you're going to have to trust me on this. I'm a big boy now, I can handle it."

"And her schedule, and the distance? What about that? She makes more money than you, sweetheart, by a lot," Meryl replies.

"So what?" he answers. "I know it's going to be hard, but we're going to try. I have to try."

"Ok," Meryl shrugs, "You know I'm just trying to protect you, son. If you love her, then I'm sure your father and I will too."

He picks up his phone to text Anna.

_Here for two minutes and already getting the third degree from mom about you. Miss you already._

She replies a moment later.

_My empty house is already asking about you, too. You'll need to visit soon._

Long after she hits send, she stares at her phone, but no reply comes. She knows he's probably catching up with his parents and siblings, so she tries to busy herself around the house by going through the mail, unpacking, and starting the laundry. In a week she'll be heading to her hometown of Portland, Maine, and Skylar will be there too. She can't wait.

The next seven days pass in a blur as they both try to keep busy. Anna catches up with friends and practices for her next role while Skylar enjoys spending time with his family and old friends. They text constantly, and talk on the phone when they can, but they really miss each other. After spending nearly every night together for the past few months, they've grown accustomed to sharing a bed, having a constant companion, and all the physical intimacy that being in a relationship provides. And they miss it, a lot.

When Anna boards the plane to Maine, a suitcase full of presents trailing behind her, she has butterflies in her stomach again. It isn't because her family is going to meet Skylar; she knows they'll love him. She just can't wait to see him.

Skylar's mother gives him yet another speech before she drops him off at the airport. "Now don't get too used to the tree and all those presents," she teases him as he gets out of the car.

"Don't worry Mom," he replies, grabbing his bag out of the trunk and heading towards the entrance. The flight isn't long, but he's nervous and eager to see Anna, so it seems like forever to him. Since they don't want to attract attention at the airport, he rents a car when he lands and follows the GPS directions on his cell phone until he arrives at her parents' house.

He parks on the street, and grabs his bag, the bunch of flowers for Anna's mother, and the bottle of wine for Anna's father and climbs the porch steps before ringing the doorbell. The door opens and there stands a woman that looks like an older version of Anna. Janice Kendrick is petite, pretty, and has a great smile.

"You must be Skylar," she says warmly, opening the door and gesturing for him to enter, "We've heard so much about you."

"All good things, I hope," he smiles, handing her the flowers, "It's great to meet you, Mrs. Kendrick."

"Please, call me Janice," she tells him. "Thank you, these are lovely."

They hear a scuffling upstairs and look up to see that Anna's brother Michael has her in a tight headlock while she repeatedly elbows him in the stomach.

"And that, would be my son Michael," Janice says, shaking her head, "Giving his sister a hard time as usual."

Anna wriggles her way out of Michael's grasp and bounds down the steps, flying into Skylar's arms. He pulls her into a bear hug, kissing her on the forehead before putting her back on the floor. Michael follows, extending his hand to Skylar, "Nice to meet you," he says.

They exchange pleasantries about Skylar's flight before Janice says, "Why don't I let Anna show you to your room so you can relax a little before dinner?"

"Thanks, that would be great," he says. He picks up his bag and Anna leads him up the stairs to her childhood bedroom.

"Now," she says, closing the door behind them, "This isn't a very big house, so we're going to have to share the bed," she smiles, "I hope that's ok with you."

"We'll just have to be quiet," he grins mischievously, and she laughs. He crosses the room, threading his fingers into her hair before pulling her into a kiss. "I missed you," he breathes into her mouth, and she sighs softly.

The kiss builds in intensity, and he reluctantly pulls his lips from hers, resting his head on her forehead. "If we don't stop now, we're going to end up missing dinner," he explains, "Although I fully intend on making up for our week apart later," he adds.

She gives his lips another quick peck before taking his hand and leading him towards the bedroom door. "Come on," she says, "I want you to meet my Dad."

William Kendrick is sitting on the sofa in the family room, watching something on The History Channel when they walk into the room. "Dad," Anna says, "This is Skylar."

"Hi, son," William replies, shaking his hand. "Good to have you here. You're all my little girl talks about these days."

Anna blushes as Skylar says, "Nice to meet you sir. Thank you so much for having me here."

"Please, call me William," William corrects. "There's no need for formality here, we're all family."

There are wonderful smells coming from the kitchen, and Anna and Skylar help Janice finish up dinner and set the table. They all enjoy a nice Christmas Eve dinner together, and Skylar feels at ease with the Kendricks. Michael even ribs him a few times as if he were his brother, a sign that Anna told him would mean he approves. After dinner, they all sit around the tree sipping hot cocoa and eating homemade cookies. Anna is curled into his side as they share stories about her childhood, and he's laughing so hard he has tears in his eyes.

"They're being kind," Anna says, "My hair was _awful_! It was this big, frizzy, uncontrollable mess. The only reason it's presentable now is because I have a team of professional stylists working on it around the clock."

"I've always thought it was beautiful," he tells her honestly, and he can't help but notice the way Janice smiles at him from across the room.

"Well you know what they say," Anna jokes, "Love is blindness."

He tickles her side, and she laughs. Anna's parents bid them goodnight, and they watch a little television with Michael before heading to bed. They take turns in the bathroom before climbing into bed together, the moonlight streaming through the window their only source of illumination in the room.

"Your family is great," Skylar tells her, "I'm so glad I could meet them, honestly."

"Yeah, they are great," she agrees, "And my parents are always so supportive of me, I'm really lucky."

"I'm really lucky," he whispers, scooting closer to her and kissing her. "I missed you…so, so much."

The kiss quickly intensifies, and she sits up, straddling his hips as they continue to kiss. "My God, I missed this," she breathes into his mouth as her fingers trace the outline of his abs. He shivers under her touch.

They make love slowly and quietly, Skylar maintaining a maddeningly slow pace, wanting to relish every moment he has with her after their time apart. He whispers words of love in her ear as she falls asleep, her head on his chest and her arm slung around his waist. They wake as the morning sun begins streaming through the curtains.

"Merry Christmas," he murmurs to her as she opens her eyes. She blinks a few times and sees that there is a small wrapped package resting on the pillow just inches from her face.

She sits up, picking up the gift and turning it over a few times in her hands. "You didn't have to get me anything," she tells him.

"I know, but I wanted to," he explains. She tears the paper carefully before lifting the lid of the box. Nestled inside is a long, velvet box. She pries it open, and finds a white gold bracelet; the metal twisted and sculpted into the phrase "_Don't you forget about me_".

"I know it's kind of cliché," he says, lifting the bracelet out of its box and fastening it onto her wrist, "But if it weren't for Pitch Perfect and Jesse and Beca, I wouldn't know you. And I wouldn't have fallen in love with you. And every time I hear this song, or see plaid, or sing, or breathe, I think of you. You gave me the money clip, something I have with me all the time, and having it is like carrying a tangible piece of you with me wherever I go. So now you can wear this, and think of me."

"It's perfect," she says, fingering the delicate design.

"And one of a kind," he smiles. "And when you're filming, it also doubles as an anklet. You know, since your ankles are the same width as your wrists," he teases.

She pokes him in the ribs. "Thank you," she says, leaning over to kiss him. The kiss deepens, and he rolls over her, pressing her into the mattress. They break apart when they hear a soft knock at the door.

"If you guys are decent, breakfast is ready," Michael's voice says through the door. Reluctantly, they climb out of bed, throw on robes over their pajamas, and pad down the stairs and into the kitchen. The day is filled with food, laughter, warmth, and presents. Anna's favorite part of it all is when Skylar joins in with them to sing Christmas carols, harmonizing perfectly with her own voice.

"I could really get used to this," Skylar whispers in Anna's ear during dinner, and she feels a surge of love for him, realizing that he really fits perfectly into her little world here.

"They love you," she whispers back, "And so do I."

Now she can only hope that she fits in as well with his family as he has with hers.


	14. Obstacles

They decide to rent a car and drive from Portland to New York since the appearance of them together on an airplane would probably cause quite a stir. They enjoy the time together in the car, trying to find obscure places to stop along the way for food and bathroom breaks. He is just happy to be holding her hand over the center console as he drives and she navigates.

The closer they get to Skylar's house, the more nervous she becomes, "What if they don't like me?" she worries.

"Trust me, it will be fine," he assures her as they pull up to his childhood home in a quaint suburb in Rockland County. They climb out of the car and he reaches for her hand as they mount the steps and ring the doorbell.

A younger looking girl with brunette hair flings open the door, "Oh my God, Sky!" she exclaims, "She's real! I can't believe Anna Kendrick is actually dating my big brother and staying at our house!"

"Anna, this is my sister, Brielle," Skylar introduces.

Brielle pulls Anna into the house by her hands, examining her carefully, "You're even prettier in person, and so tiny! Milan, Jace, you gotta get down here!" she shouts up the stairs.

"Sorry," Skylar mouths to Anna, who smiles nervously.

There's a sound of feet shuffling, and then two guys arrive in the foyer. They both resemble Skylar, though one is taller and one is shorter than him. "This is Milan," Skylar says, gesturing to the taller one, "And this is Jace. Guys, this is Anna."

Jace looks her over, looking mildly impressed, "Dude," he said, "I thought you made her up. It's so unfair that you always date such hot women."

"Yeah really," Milan agrees.

Anna bites her lip, since the guys are obviously referring to Camp. But before she can say anything, a woman enters the room. "Ah, there's my baby, finally home for a visit! And you must be Anna," she says, hugging her.

"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Lipstein," Anna says politely.

"Pish-posh, call me Meryl," Skylar's mother replies. "Please, come in! Barry should be back any minute. I sent him out for groceries."

"Yeah, because you were obsessing over what Anna might like or not like, so you made everything under the sun for dinner," Brielle says, shaking her head, and her brothers all laugh.

"I like everything, don't worry," Anna tells her, and Skylar squeezes her hand.

"You want to see Sky's room?" Brielle asks. "It's a nerd haven," she adds, and Skylar shoots her a warning glance.

"I'd love to," Anna laughs, following the girl up the stairs.

"You'll learn to ignore Brie," Skylar tells Anna, "Everyone else does."

Brielle flings open one of the doors to reveal a room covered with posters of various Broadway shows, bands, and movies. He has a variety of awards on display, which upon closer examination are all related to drama and singing. It's exactly how Anna pictured his room would look.

"I'll let you two get ready for dinner," Brielle says, closing the door behind them.

Skylar sighs, taking Anna's hands in his. "Sorry about that, they come on a little strong," he apologizes.

"They're great, don't worry," she smiles reassuringly, and he kisses her.

"Wow," he grins widely at her, "Anna Kendrick is in my bedroom. I'm the envy of every man in America."

She rolls her eyes, but is smiling, "Uh huh, yeah right." She raises her eyebrows before saying, "Hey, what about Europe and Asia?"

He laughs, pulling her closer to him and kissing her softly. "Seriously though," he whispers into the shell of her ear, causing her to shiver, "I'm so happy you're here."

"Me too," she replies, leaning into his embrace.

She meets Skylar's father Barry downstairs as they sit down to dinner, and Brielle wasn't kidding, Meryl really has made _everything_. Everyone talks animatedly during dinner, telling stories about Skylar's childhood and teasing him mercilessly. His face is beet red and he covers his face in his hands as they share a story about how he had to wear tights in his middle school play and prance around the stage singing.

"Aww," Anna says sympathetically, rubbing his back as she smiles at him fondly. She shares a few embarrassing stories of her own to even the score, and the Lipsteins are all laughing when she finishes.

"So Anna," Brielle interjects when everyone is happily munching on dessert, "If you marry my brother will your last name be Astin or Lipstein?"

A silence falls over the table, Meryl's cake-filled fork poised in midair as she gapes at her daughter.

"Brie," Skylar mutters, shaking his head.

Anna doesn't miss a beat as she replies, "I'd take whatever name he wanted me to have."

Skylar reaches for her hand under the table, his way of thanking her silently as Barry changes the subject to something far less awkward. When the meal is complete, everyone stands to clear the table. "I'll be right back," Anna tells Skylar, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading upstairs for a bathroom break.

"So," Meryl says to her son as she stands at the kitchen sink washing dishes. "She's lovely, son."

"Yes, she is," he replies fondly.

"But I'm wondering if you two are moving too fast. Talking about marriage already?" Meryl questions.

"Mom, Brie brought that up. And yes, Anna and I have discussed it casually to see if our visions of the future align, but that's it," he explains.

"She loves you," Meryl says with absolute certainty, "I can tell the way she looks at you. And you two are so in tune with each other. I never got that when you were with the other Anna. I've never seen you this happy before."

"Really?" Skylar asks.

"Really," Meryl replies. "She's special, that one. I just worry about you because it's my job as a mother to worry about her son. And I know that you know that things aren't always going to be easy, but if you find real love, you do whatever it takes to hold onto it."

Skylar gives his mother a kiss on the cheek as he grabs a towel to dry the dishes. "Thanks mom."

"So, do they approve?" Anna asks him later when they're alone in bed in his room.

"Yes," he smiles at her, kissing her nose, "As usual, everyone loves you."

She grins mischievously, straddling his hips, "Prove it, mister."

He doesn't need to be told twice.

The rest of the visit they spend meeting his childhood friends, hanging out at the house, and just enjoying the time together. On New Year's Eve she brings him as her date to a swanky New York City party filled with A-list celebrities, and she seems to know everyone. She proudly introduces him as her boyfriend, and his insecurities fade, at least for the evening.

"I can't believe you and Tom Hanks are on a first name basis," he whispers in her ear as Tom and his wife Rita walk away from them.

She smiles, whispering back, "Surreal, isn't it?"

He gives her a long kiss goodbye when she leaves a few days later, first bound for Los Angeles and then Seattle to film her next movie. They don't see each other for two months, as Ground Floor resumes shooting and her schedule doesn't allow her to fly back into town. They call and text constantly, and he misses her so much it actually hurts. But they're both so busy that neither one of them can do anything about it.

It's a weekend in early March, and Skylar heads to a coffeehouse near to his place in the city. He's sitting at a table, sipping the hot beverage alone when he hears someone approach him from behind.

"Skylar?" he turns and sees Camp standing there.

"Hey," he greets awkwardly.

"Mind if I join you?" she asks, pointing to the chair opposite him.

When he doesn't say anything right away, she sits down. "So, how've you been?"

"Great," he replies with as much enthusiasm as he can muster. Only, he isn't great, he's miserable. The love of his life is hundreds of miles away, and he hasn't seen her in months. His entire body aches for her.

"How are things going with Anna?" she asks.

"Anna's amazing," he replies instantly.

"Yes, amazingly _busy_," Camp corrects, and he frowns. "Look Skylar, I care about you. I always will. But I'm worried for you. Kendrick is an A-lister, and we're not. She's in the big leagues, and she doesn't have time for you. Look at us, Skylar. We're both in television; we have the same schedules, the same social crowd, and the same interests. You could be so much happier with me."

"I am happy with Anna _Kendrick_," he interrupts, "And you and I tried for two years to be happy together, and something was always missing for me. I'm sorry, but I really think you should leave."

"Have it your way," Camp replies, "Be miserable and alone if you want. You still have my number if you ever change your mind."

That night, he doesn't hear from Anna. Some nights she films late into the night, and he ends up falling asleep waiting for her call. When the phone rings the next morning, he's groggy still when he answers.

"Hi," she says softly, "Sorry I missed you last night. We didn't stop until midnight, and I wasn't sure if you'd still be awake."

"It's ok," he replies, but something sounds off in his voice.

"What's wrong?" she inquires.

"I ran into Camp yesterday at the coffeehouse," he explains, "And it was just…weird. And she said all of these stupid things that for some reason I can't shake."

"What did she say?" Anna asks, trying not to become upset at the idea of him with his ex-girlfriend.

"That I'd be better off with her instead of you. That she and I are more compatible because we're both in television, that you're still way out of my league and I'm only kidding myself in thinking it can work," he blurts.

"I see," she says quietly, "And do you agree with her?"

"I told you I thought what she said was stupid," he answers.

"Yes, but it doesn't sound like you really think that," she argues. "Just be honest with me, Sky."

Her use of his nickname almost breaks his resolve, but he needs to let this out, "Honestly? Lately I've been thinking that it might be more than I can handle. I miss you so much, I'm practically going crazy, and I just don't know how much longer I can keep going on like this."

As soon as he says the words, he regrets them, but it's too late. There's a long silence on her end of the line.

"So you don't want to be with me anymore? That's it? It's only my first film since we've been together and you're already giving up on me, on us? I love you Skylar, like,_ really_ love you, and if that's not enough than I don't know what is."

And with that, the line goes dead. He throws his phone across the room, and it clatters to the floor. That was not how that conversation was supposed to go. He waits about five minutes before climbing out of bed, picking up the phone, and calling her back. The call goes straight to her voicemail, meaning she shut her phone off.

"Hey it's me. And I'm sorry. Please Anna, I love you and I need you in my life. Things are hard, yes, but I would rather see you one day a year than not be with you at all," he says into her voicemail before hanging up. He only hopes that she calls him back.

She doesn't.

He carries his cell phone around with him all day even though he never leaves his apartment. He takes a quick shower around five in the evening, afraid to miss her call, but there's still no word from her when he finishes.

He sits down on the sofa to watch television and eventually falls asleep while watching it sometime around eight o'clock. He wakes to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Hoping it's Anna he quickly picks it up to see that the caller is his mother.

"Mom?" he says sleepily. He has a horrible headache, having not eaten most of the day.

"Skylar," his mother says, "Are you sitting down? Is your TV on?"

"Yes and yes," Skylar replies, wary of his mother's tone.

"Turn it off," she tells him.

"Why?" he questions, reaching for the remote.

"It's Anna, honey," his mother says softly, "Something's happened."

He rises to his feet in an instant, grabbing the remote and switching it to the news channel. "What mom, what's happened?"

But he doesn't need to ask, because his television screen holds the answer. There's an image of a crushed car and emergency lights flashing.

_"Academy Award nominated and critically acclaimed actress Anna Kendrick was involved in a motor vehicle accident this afternoon sometime around seven PM local time. The 29-year-old Kendrick was travelling south on route 5 towards the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when she was hit head on by a drunk driver who crossed over the median into oncoming traffic. Kendrick has been airlifted to Highline Medical Center. We will keep you updated on her condition as more information becomes available."_

"Oh my God," Skylar says into the phone, falling back onto the couch as he tries to process what he's just seen. Her car was crushed. What was she doing driving there anyway?

"You haven't gotten any calls from anyone else yet?" Meryl asks him.

"No," he answers, "I don't even know if her parents know."

"I'm sure the hospital contacted them," Meryl answers, "But they couldn't call you because you're not family. I'm so sorry I had to be the one to tell you this, honey."

"I need to go, Mom. I'll call you as soon as I know anything, ok?"

He hangs up and immediately searches on his phone for the next available flight to Seattle. His cell phone starts going crazy with calls and text messages from people who are obviously just learning about the news, but he ignores them all. He quickly throws some items in a bag, and calls a cab to the airport.

It's the longest flight of his life, even though it's only two and half hours long. He tries not to go crazy looking at news websites while he's flying, and the ones he checks have no new information, just that horrible picture of the car she was driving. By the time he reaches Highline Medical Center, it is in the early hours of the morning. He pushes through a crowd of reporters at the entrance to the hospital, all of whom yell questions at him about Anna's condition, but he ignores them all.

He reaches the front desk and asks for Anna Kendrick, the receptionist is an older woman who looks at him skeptically. "Miss Kendrick is under high security here, sir, for her protection. We can't just let anyone back there to see her."

Another much younger woman approaches them, "I've got this, Eleanor," she tells the older woman. "Skylar Astin, right?" she asks him.

"Right," he says, "Please, I need to see her. Is she ok?"

The young woman gestures to the doors leading to the bank of elevators, beckoning him to follow her. "Look," she tells him, "I could get fired for this, but I'm a huge fan of yours and Anna's, and I know you're her boyfriend. So, I'm going to give you this pass and let you in, as long as you swear never to tell a soul."

"Thank you!" he exclaims, hugging the stranger, and she looks like she's about to faint as he runs through the doors into the hospital. On the back of the pass, the woman had written Anna's room number and location. When he reaches her doorway, there are two security guards present. He approaches them, holding up his pass.

"Name?" one of them asks.

"Skylar Astin," he replies, showing his identification, and the man glances down at his clipboard.

"Ok," the guard says, "You're on Mr. Kendrick's list, go ahead in."

He opens the door to the room and Skylar steps in, the sterile smell of the room and the sound of machines beeping assaulting his senses. He rounds the corner to see Anna, looking frail and small in the hospital bed. Her eyes are closed, but he sees no cuts, scrapes or bandages. He sits down next to her bed and gingerly picks up her hand, rubbing the back of it softly with his thumb.

"Anna?" he says tentatively. He doesn't know if she's in a coma or just sleeping, or what her injuries are, but she's breathing, and her heart is beating, and she's alive. "Oh thank God," he says aloud, leaning his head on their joined hands.

Her eyes flutter a few times, and then open. She blinks, trying to adjust to the ambient light in the room before turning towards him. "I was coming to see you," she says, her voice hoarse.

"Oh honey," he breathes, reaching out a hand to stroke her hair, "I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot. I acted like such a dick. I just missed you so, so much, and it was making me crazy."

"I know," she says, smiling weakly at him. "I overreacted. The thought of you with Camp makes me crazy. And I guess a part of me is always afraid that you'll realize that I'm nothing special and you won't want to make this herculean effort to be with me."

"It's not herculean," he whispers, "It's just that I'm being selfish and I want to be with you all the time."

"I guess we'll just have to do another movie together then," she replies.

"Pitch Perfect 3?" he jokes.

"Right, because everyone wants to see a 30 year old playing a college student," she laughs.

"Why not? Camp did it already," he quips, and she breaks into laughter.

"I love you," she tells him. "I'm sorry I didn't make it to see you. It was going to be a lot more romantic than this."

"Now, what could be more romantic than a hospital room?" he asks sarcastically.

"Well for starters, I was going to show up at your place wearing just a trench coat, which when you answered the door and forgave me, I was going to open to reveal this really sexy red lingerie that I got in Seattle. And then we were going to make love all weekend long."

"I would have enjoyed that," he says, his tone a bit more husky than he intended. "So, are you hurt?"

"No, not really. I have a few bruises but nothing major. I hit my head and was unconscious for a while, but they say I'm really lucky. They're just keeping me here for observation."

"I was so afraid. To think I had to hear about this on the news and from my mother," he says, carefully climbing into bed with her and curling his body alongside hers.

"I gave the press a statement saying I'm fine just before you got here. I'm so sorry," she tells him.

"Shh," he whispers, kissing her hair, "Just rest. I love you. I'm not going anywhere."

And he doesn't.


	15. Better

After the accident, both Anna and Skylar's filming projects give them the week off to recover. When she is released from the hospital, he drives them to a secluded cabin in the woods. After the long drive, they collapse into bed and both fall into a deep sleep. The following morning, she wakes to find him already awake and staring at her.

"You're kind of creeping me out," she tells him as she yawns and stretches, her pajama top riding up to reveal the creamy skin of her abdomen. She lays back down into his embrace as he begins to absently trace patterns on her bare skin with his fingertips.

"Sorry," he apologizes, "I just can't stop thinking about how close I was to losing you, in more ways than one."

"I'm totally fine, I promise," she whispers, snuggling even closer to him. "You don't have to treat me like I'm going to break."

"Have I been?" he asks, surprised.

"Sky, you've barely touched me since the accident," she tells him.

He studies her then, her hair tousled from sleep, and her body curled around his. He runs his fingers through her hair, tracing the side of her face until he reaches her chin. He tilts her face up to meet his, and his lips brush against hers before he kisses her fully. She lets out a soft moan as he deepens the kiss, his hands moving to the small of her back, pressing her fully against his body.

They kiss slowly, relearning each other's mouths, and when he breaks the kiss they're both breathing heavily. He takes her hand and presses it to his now racing heart. "Can you feel that? It's for you. It's all because of you."

She rolls him onto his back and straddles him, her hips grinding deliciously onto him as she takes his hand and puts it on her breast. "And these," she grins wickedly, "Are all for you."

He lets out a low growl that's almost primal as he looks up at her, a glorious vision of perfection hovering over him. "Two months," he groans, "Two painful, excruciatingly long months."

"Oh don't you worry," she replies, raising her eyebrows, "I fully intend to make up for lost time."

And they do.

"You know," he tells her later, "I don't think I'm ever going to be able to get enough of you."

"Good," she smiles up at him, her body weight covering his, "Because I don't plan on leaving this bed for the whole week."

They talk, catching up on the past few months they spent apart. Eventually, they have to get up to eat, and shower, and do other things required of them, but for the most part they stay in bed. At one point she looks up at him, "I really hate that we have to spend so much time apart, but I guess because of it I don't take any moment I have with you for granted. And I don't think that's a bad thing."

He hugs her tightly against him, "No, not at all. I feel the same way. Plus, you'd probably grow bored with me if you saw me all the time. The heat might fizzle out of our relationship."

"It hasn't yet," she replies, running her hand along his thigh in the way that she knows drives him crazy. "In fact, I think it just keeps getting hotter."

"Me too," he whispers, rolling her over and kissing her passionately. They can both still feel that electric current flowing between them as his body immediately responds to their close proximity. "God, Anna," he breathes, trailing hot kisses from her lips to her neck, "This goes so far beyond wanting you. I need you."

"I need you too. I'm right here," she assures him, cradling his face in her hands.

No, they definitely don't leave the bed for the entire week.

Unfortunately, time marches on, and they reluctantly leave each other and go back to work. This time, it's only for a few weeks, as he's set to be her date for the Academy Awards later that month. Into the Woods has been nominated, and he's eager to attend. The limousine arrives to pick him up, and the chauffer opens the door to reveal her in a gorgeous floor length crimson gown. Her hair is styled half up in loose curls that frame her face.

"You're stunning," he tells her as he climbs in and sits beside her.

"You're not so bad yourself," she replies, gesturing to his tuxedo. "Are you ready for the craziness?"

"You bet," he smiles, taking her hand for the duration of the ride.

The limo pulls up to the red carpet, and the door opens to reveal a long line of people, reporters, cameramen, and celebrities. It's unlike anything Skylar's ever seen before. He's attended the Emmy awards and a few other big events, but nothing compares to this. As soon as they are in sight, people are screaming for them. "Anna! Skylar!" They can barely see from the number of camera flashes going off all around them. Anna loops her arm through his as they make their way down the carpet, stopping for photos along the way. Robin Roberts waves them over to talk to her.

"And here comes Pitch Perfect's stars Anna Kendrick and Skylar Astin," Robin says to the camera as they approach. She turns to Anna, "So, what I'm hearing has been true, you two are in fact dating?"

"Yes, almost six months now," she smiles up at Skylar fondly, who kisses her on the forehead.

"Yeah, luckily she's still willing to put up with me," he tells Robin.

Anna nudges Skylar playfully in the side as Robin asks, "So Anna, are you pleased by the success of Into the Woods?"

"Oh yes, definitely," she answers, "It was such a wonderful experience to work with such big names like Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, and Emily Blunt."

"I bet," Robin smiles, "Did you find the singing parts any more challenging than the ones you've done in the past?"

"For sure," Anna answers, "I mean I really had to train for some of the songs. I'm not a naturally talented singer like this guy over here," she says fondly, gesturing to Skylar, "But I hope I made it believable."

"You sure did, and you look fabulous tonight. Best of luck to you!" Robin says, concluding the interview. Anna grabs Skylar's hand as they walk to the theater entrance.

"I told you, craziness," she says into his ear as they find their seats. Everyone greets them as they enter, and Skylar is amazed how many incredibly famous people now know him by name as well. Anna is practically glowing, and he can't take his eyes off her for the entire evening. He proudly stays by her side at the after-party as well. They're so exhausted that they ask the limo driver to take them back to his place because it's a shorter trip, and he more than willingly helps her out of her gown.

As he pulls down the zipper, he realizes that underneath all that fabric she's wearing a very sheer, lacy red bra and panties. He swallows hard as he lets the gown slip from his fingers and fall to the floor.

"This," she says, looking down shyly at herself, "Is what I was going to wear under that trench coat," she tells him, biting her lip before looking up at him. She takes his tie, winding it around her wrist before pulling him closer to her. "What do you think?"

He's unable to formulate a sentence, so he just scoops her up bridal style and carries her in the direction of the bedroom. She tries to remove the stiletto heels she's wearing when they reach his room. "Leave them on," he says huskily, tossing her into the bed before jumping on top of her while she gasps in delight.

The following morning they wake to the sound of the doorbell. He throws on a pair of sweatpants and shuffles out of the room, telling Anna to stay in bed.

He opens the door to reveal Camp. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asks as she pushes past him and into the apartment.

She spins around to face him. "I saw that ridiculous display last night at the Oscars. It's really pathetic Skylar, following her around like some kind of lovesick puppy. Did any of the interviewers even notice that you were there?"

"It wasn't about being noticed," he grits out, "It was about supporting Anna and going as her date because she asked me to. It was a great evening."

"I can't believe you're doing this, subjecting yourself to this, and all for what? Attention? Are you hoping to get noticed now because you're the famous Anna Kendrick's lapdog?"

"Look, I don't know where you get off!" he's almost yelling now, "What gives you the right to just storm into my house and criticize my relationship? Which, I might add, you know nothing about."

"I know plenty," Camp retorts, "It's always in my face every time I open a magazine or turn on the TV. I just don't get it. We were so great together and you just threw it all away!" She pauses, studying him for a brief moment, "Don't you remember those long nights at my place?" Her tone shifts from angry to soft and seductive. She walks towards him, running her hands down his bare chest, "Come on baby, we could have that again." She leans up, trying to kiss him.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Anna's voice demands, as Skylar pries Camp's hands from his chest and pushes her away from him. They both turn to see Anna standing in the doorway wearing only Skylar's white dress shirt from the previous evening and her red panties.

"I didn't know you were here," Camp splutters, momentarily shocked, "Her car isn't here," she says to Skylar.

"The limo dropped us off last night," he explains.

"Well this is just perfect," Camp scowls, "The star and her lackey."

"Shut up," Anna says to Camp, "You know I've tried to be nice to you, but you just won't go away. And I'm sorry I interrupted this mind-fuck of a conversation, but I think it's for the best if you leave now, and don't ever come back."

"Is that a threat?" Camp asks, walking over to Anna and using her height as an advantage. "Because I'm pretty sure I could take you."

"Please," Skylar interrupts, "Just do us all a favor and get over yourself. Yes, things with us were good, but things with Anna are better, and I'm never going back with you."

"Better than that night we spent up in the mountains?" Camp challenges.

Skylar walks over to Anna and picks her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing her passionately. Anna immediately responds to the kiss, running her hands through his hair as he anchors her hips to him. "Always," he replies to Camp, before attaching his lips to her neck.

"You should go," Anna says smiling as Skylar licks along her collarbone, "Unless you want to stick around and watch us?" She returns her mouth to Skylar's, her tongue delving into his mouth as she cups his jaw with her hands.

Camp is seething, and they hear the sound of the door slamming behind her as Skylar pushes Anna up against the wall. "I gotta say," he says, panting, "That was kind of hot."

She laughs, "That bitch is bat-shit crazy. Thank God I saved you from her." He chuckles as she asks, "So what was so great about that night in the mountains?"

He sighs, lowering her to the floor. "Nothing, really. I mean, compared to how it is with you. If I recall we tried a new position that she rather enjoyed."

"Why don't you show me?" Anna replies, heading in the direction of his room. His dress shirt hits him in the face a second later and he chases after the sound of her laughter, tackling her at the foot of his bed before tossing her onto the mattress and climbing on top of her.

"With pleasure," he whispers huskily into her ear.

And later, Anna knows why Camp is so desperate to have him back, and Skylar knows that he'll never be able to do better than Anna Kendrick.

**A/N: As always, thank you for your reviews. One of you mentioned that I should write fanfiction for a living, a huge compliment since I always dreamed of being a published author, but never thought I had enough talent. Please continue giving me suggestions for what you'd like to see happen next in this story, and I'll do my best to honor them!**


	16. Crazy

After the Academy Awards, Anna and Skylar has some time together in Los Angeles. He is wrapping up with filming on Ground Floor, and she isn't set to start another movie until April. They spend their nights together having dinner, watching movies, and just enjoying each other's company. Skylar usually comes to her house, because he can hide his car in her garage for the night. Also, she lives in a house while he has an apartment, and she often asks him to fix something or help in the yard, and he enjoys doing those things for her.

"You know you could hire someone to do this," he tells her one afternoon while he is trimming a branch from one of her trees.

"I know," she replies, "But you look so hot in a tight t-shirt and shorts using those sexy arms of yours. Besides, I like to maintain a certain level of normalcy."

He loves that about her. Even though Anna has a ton of money, she drives a Prius, has a modest home, and does everything herself.

"And if I save my money," she adds as he climbs back down the ladder, "I can always stop acting if I want to, or take a break when I want to have a family. I don't want the money to make me lose sight of who I am."

"I feel the same way," he replies. Even though he doesn't make nearly as much money as she does, he's still doing well for himself.

"So I've been thinking," she says, staring thoughtfully at him, "That you're here a lot, and we're always together when I'm in L.A., and that maybe we don't really need to have two separate places anymore."

She's rambling, and it's adorable. He smiles at her, "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Well, only if you want. I understand if you want to keep your place because it's closer to work and it's really convenient, and maybe you still want to have some alone time. But I'm away often and I have to pay someone to check on the house and I was just thinking that…"

"I'd love to live here with you," he interrupts her.

"You would?" she asks shyly.

"Yes," he replies, "There's no place else I'd rather be."

She smiles, kissing him softly. "I just thought it might be too soon, or that you'd want the place to be ours rather than mine. But you can redecorate however you like, and I'll even get your name put on the title."

She's rambling again, and he kisses her. "It's perfect, I promise."

In the next few weeks, he moves out of his apartment and fully into the house. "You know it's really nice to have someone to come home to every night," he comments to her one evening.

"Yes, I am going to miss this when I go back to work next week," she replies, snuggling into him.

He sighs, "At least this time you'll be in New York," he says, "And I will be off and able to visit you."

"I'm really excited to be working with Joe again, too," she says happily.

"Which Joe?" he asks, "You've worked with more than one."

"Joe Manganiello," she answers.

_Oh._ Of course she'd be working with_ that_ Joe. The extremely hot, muscular, tall Joe that people assumed Anna was dating a few years ago when she was spotted with him at a few events.

"Yeah," she replies casually, "He's going to be playing my love interest too, which should be interesting considering he's insanely tall. They're going to have me in crazy high shoes. My feet hurt just thinking about it."

"What's the movie about?" he asks.

"Joe's character and my character are madly in love, and it's about how their relationship changes over time with family and friends. And then there's the question looming over them about whether they want to have children or not," she explains.

"Is it going to be rated-R?" he asks, not wanting to picture her doing sex scenes with another man.

"I don't know," she answers, "It depends on how much they decide to trim the love scenes."

He cringes, thinking that he's definitely going to be visiting frequently while she's filming that movie.

When he bids her farewell at the airport the following week, he knows that he's going to see her again in ten days. He's thrilled that she's filming in New York, because it will give him an opportunity to see his family when he visits her. The following week, he too is headed to the city.

Anna won't be available to see him until the evening, so when he lands in the afternoon he heads over to his parents' house for a quick visit. And despite his attempts to keep his reservations about Anna working with Joe to himself, he ends up spilling his guts to his mother.

"Skylar," she says, "Anna loves you. You have nothing to worry about."

Skylar loads up Google on his phone and shows her a picture of Joe, "Oh really?" he asks, skeptical.

"Really," his mother replies, although she stares a little too long at the photo of shirtless Joe. "Don't you trust her?"

"Of course I do," he answers, "It is other guys I don't trust. And do they really have to do sex scenes together?"

"You do scenes like that all the time with Briga, dear," his mother points out, "And you don't see Anna getting her feathers all ruffled over it."

"It's different," he explains. "I'm on television, with censorship. She's in a movie. It's going to be far more intense than anything I've done before."

"Anna is a professional, you know that. It's going to be fine, I promise," his mother assures him, and he feels a little bit better about the whole thing by the time he leaves to meet Anna.

He arrives just as they're finishing up for the day. When Anna spots him, she runs over to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him hard before returning to Joe's side. He stays to watch them complete the scene. Joe is constantly touching her, or staring at her, or kissing her, and it's hard for Skylar to watch. He keeps reminding himself that they're just acting. He's seen Anna do love scenes before, and this is no different, right?

But it's the way that Joe is with Anna when the camera isn't rolling that ends up grating on Skylar. He's still always touching her, or picking her up, or teasing her, and her laughter echoes on the set. And worst of all, Joe resembles a chiseled Adonis without his clothes on, and Skylar finds himself wishing he worked out more and ate less.

At night, he goes back to Anna's hotel room with her, and he's extra attentive and passionate when they make love. And so the pattern repeats each day, with him watching her film, and spending nights with her in her room. When his visit draws to a close, he decides he wants to stay.

"But who is going to check on the house?" she asks.

"I'll make some calls," he replies.

Anna is thrilled to have Skylar here with her, but she just can't shake the sense that something is off with him. Plus, it is awkward enough filming these love scenes even without her boyfriend watching every single day.

One afternoon she and Joe are filming a particularly heated love scene which involves partial nudity on both their parts. Of course, Skylar is there, but like always, Anna is very serious and dedicated to her work. She throws herself into the part of this character fully each day, trying to experience the emotions that she might feel. She and Joe are kissing passionately, and he lifts her up onto the kitchen countertop, wrapping her legs around his waist before lifting her and carrying her to the bedroom. Most of her body is blocked by Joe's, but she's not wearing anything. They repeat this scene, over and over again, until finally the director is satisfied. She wraps her robe around herself and goes to throw on some clothes so that she and Skylar can go out to dinner as planned.

Later, Skylar's mood is borderline sullen as they eat in near silence, the only conversation provided by her rambling. When they arrive back at the hotel, she closes the door and turns around to face him.

"What is it, Skylar?" she demands.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replies nonchalantly.

"You," she says, "You're different. Are you mad at me? Did I do something to upset you?"

"Other than have your legs wrapped around Joe all day long?" he says sarcastically, "No."

"I'm acting," she says, narrowing her eyes, "It was in the script. I don't get jealous of the million times you do love scenes with Briga."

"It's different," he retorts, "And we're definitely not naked."

"You're still kissing her, and touching her, and acting as though you're in love with her. I don't see how it's any different," she snaps.

"Of course you don't," he argues, "You're in movies. I'm just in TV. It's not the same Anna!"

She crosses her arms over her chest and shakes her head. "You're being ridiculous."

"Am I?" he nearly explodes with frustration, "Joe wants you, Anna. I can tell. And he looks like a fucking God. I just can't compete with this!"

"With what? Joe? Or me?" she demands.

When he doesn't reply, she continues, "Don't you dare do that. I have never once cared what it is you do or how much money you make or how famous you are. I don't even care about those things when they involve me. And now you're standing here acting like I make you feel like you're not good enough, only because of some stupid love scene that somehow made you so insecure that we're now having this absurd conversation!"

"So now my feelings are ridiculous and absurd?" he snaps.

"No, but don't blame me for them. Deal with them," she interrupts him.

He doesn't say anything, only turns around and walks out the door, slamming it behind him. She throws herself onto the bed and cries. When it gets late and he hasn't returned, she climbs into bed alone, futilely trying to get some sleep.

The next morning, there's still no word from Skylar, but she's angry and so she goes to work without trying to contact him.

Skylar stomps down the steps and into the kitchen. "You look exhausted," Meryl points out.

"Thanks mom," he tells her, rubbing his eyes with his hands.

"You need to go and talk to her," Meryl says.

"And say what exactly? That I'm a tremendous asshole? That I still think she's too good for me? That I'm afraid that one day she'll realize that herself and she'll be gone?" he asks.

"So do something about it," Meryl states.

"Do what, mom? Go to her and grovel for her forgiveness? Because I love her, mom, so much that it scares me sometimes. And the idea of losing her for any reason is more than I can handle. It makes me crazy."

"Then do something about it," his mother repeats softly.

Skylar knows that he can't handle watching Anna film, so he stays with his parents for a little while before heading back into the city.

Anna is distracted all day, and completely exhausted by the time she gets into the elevator and ascends to her hotel room. She slides the key card into the slot and swings the door open. Her nose is immediately keen to the scent of roses and she turns to find the room covered in red roses and candlelight, the result of what seems like hundreds of candles arranged on every surface of the room. She rounds the corner and finds Skylar standing there, dressed in one of those banker suits that she loves, and holding a single red rose which he offers to her.

"Before you say anything," he says, "Just let me get this out."

He leads her to the easy chair in the corner of the room, and she lowers her tired body into it.

He takes a deep breath, "I know I acted like an insecure asshole, and I'm so sorry for that. I think you're amazing, Anna. You're everything I've ever wanted in this life and more, and I love you so much. I just think that sometimes the fear of losing you cripples me. It isn't just because of the accident, or the frequent distance between us, or the fact that every single male you come in contact with seems to want you as much as I do. It's because I now can't imagine my life without you, and I don't want to."

"Skylar," she whispers.

"Do you know what it's like to watch the one you love in the arms of another?" he asks. "It was more than I could bear."

"Yes," she replies quietly, "I had to watch you with Camp."

He takes her by the hands, pulling her up out of the chair until she's standing in front of him. "Anna," he says, his tone serious, "I know that we have only been together eight months, but it has been the best time of my life so far. I know that we are going to face many more challenges, but I know I can handle them as long as I have you in my life."

And then, to her absolute shock, he kneels before her. "Anna Kendrick, I love you more than words could ever express. Will you marry me?"

He pulls a small box from his pocket and opens it to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring she's ever seen in her life. She's completely stunned, and she just gapes at him for a long moment.

His face shifts from hopeful to panicked in a matter of seconds, and he starts to stammer, "I know it's crazy fast, and you probably think I'm nuts, but if I know I'll always have you by my side, I know I can do anything."

She drops to her knees in front of him, placing her index finger over his lips. "Yes," she whispers, and he launches himself at her, capturing her lips in a searing kiss.

"Really?" he says, smiling so brightly that it lights up the room. She nods and he takes the ring out of the box, sliding it onto her finger. She admires it for a moment before pulling his lips to hers once more.

"I love you," she breathes into his mouth, standing up and pulling him up with her by his tie. She backs him towards the bed, pushing him down onto it before straddling his hips.

"I love you more," he replies, his eyes gleaming.

She smiles, nibbling the shell of his ear. "Mine," she whispers possessively.

"That's the sexiest thing I've ever heard in my life," he replies huskily, flipping her and hovering over her.

"Make love to me, fiancé," she replies breathily.

"I stand corrected," he grins, before lowering his lips back to hers again.


	17. Revelations

She wakes tangled in the sheets and turns to find him still sleeping peacefully on his side facing her. She holds up her hand in the dim light of the room, admiring her engagement ring's sparkle. And then the realization hits her like a ton of bricks. She's engaged…to be married.

She looks over at him again, and her heart swells with love for this man beside her. His eyes flutter and then open. "Hey," he smiles.

"Good morning," she whispers.

"So did I dream last night, or did all of that really happen?" he asks adorably, and she laughs.

"It all really happened," she tells him, waggling her diamond ring in front of his face.

"I can't believe you said yes," he says, leaning over to kiss her.

"I can't believe you asked," she replies with a grin.

"Listen," he says, leaning up on one elbow, "We don't have to get married right away. I'm fine with a long engagement. I'm even fine if you want to keep it a secret for now."

"Really?" she asks, "Because I'm not sure I want to announce it to the world just yet. I mean, our families can know, but I don't think Twitter and Tumblr can handle it right now."

He laughs, "Wouldn't want to crash them again. And actually, our parents already know. I told mine what I was planning, and I asked for your parents' blessing yesterday afternoon."

"You did what?" she sits up abruptly in bed. "And were they happy?"

"Yes," he assures her, "Your mom cried, and your dad was like 'Take care of my baby, son," he imitates William's voice.

She laughs, burying her face into her pillow. "I was sure I was going to get a lecture about how I'm rushing into things," she says, peeking out at him.

"Yeah, I was nervous too. But I don't think we're rushing. I mean, I know how I feel about you, and time isn't going to change that, so why wait? My mom always told me that when you meet the right person, you just know. And I've always just known with you."

"Me too," she smiles at him. She climbs out of bed, and he groans into his pillow. "I have to get ready for work," she says, tossing her pillow at his head.

She walks into the bathroom and turns on the water for the shower while she brushes her teeth. As she's about to step into the hot water he walks in, pressing his body against the length of her back. "You're so beautiful," he whispers, brushing her hair off her neck and kissing the skin he reveals underneath.

She leans into his touch. "You're going to make me late," she breathes, turning around to face him and pulling his lips down to meet hers. She kisses him, slowly moving backward until they're both in the shower together. "Definitely late," she breathes as he picks her up, wraps her legs around him, and presses her into the tile wall.

Skylar's enthusiasm is relentless as he makes love to her first in the shower, and after washing her carefully and shampooing her hair, he scoops her up again, carrying her back into the bedroom and depositing her still soaking wet on the bed. "Extremely late," she moans as he climbs on top of her, kissing her passionately.

He worships her body, and she's trembling as he whispers the words, "My love, my Anna, my future, my bride," and punctuating each with a heated kiss. And afterwards, when she's completed sated and her limbs feel like jelly, she snuggles up to him.

"Seriously," she says, still trying to catch her breath, "Every time we're together, I get why Camp is so desperate to have you back."

He laughs, "And it wasn't even this good with her."

"There should be monuments built in your honor," she tells him. Reluctantly, Anna extricates herself from his body and finishes getting ready. She opts to leave the ring with him because she'll just have to remove it on set and she doesn't want to misplace it.

Skylar heads back to Los Angeles two days later, and she finishes the film a week after that. They have a month together before she's travelling to Canada to film her next movie, and he's starting up on Ground Floor again. Anna's thirtieth birthday is fast approaching, as is the Pitch Perfect 2 premiere.

They keep their engagement a secret from everyone except their families and trusted best friends. They decide they'll announce it once they can decide on a wedding date, not wanting there to be too much time between the announcement and the actual wedding. He buys her a long white gold chain so that she can wear the ring hidden under her clothing. For her birthday, he throws her a huge party at a fancy L.A. restaurant, and invites all their friends and his and her family to attend.

This time, when she leaves for Canada, he isn't filled with the sense of panic he had the other times he knew he wouldn't see her for a while. In a month she's flying back for the premiere, and he safely tucks her engagement ring under her shirt as he kisses her goodbye at the airport.

Filming Ground Floor keeps him busy, and he really likes working with the cast and crew. The show has grown in popularity, and this year the studio has hired him an assistant. Anna has had assistants before when filming movies, but he's never dealt with one before. His assistant turns out to be a young redhead named Ashley with a nice smile and bright green eyes. She's perky and enthusiastic, and fawns all over him.

He's finishing up one night, singing to himself when he turns around and sees her standing there alone. "You have a great voice," she says.

"Thanks," he replies politely.

"I loved you in Pitch Perfect," she continues, "You know Jesse Swanson is the guy that every girl dreams about. And you, well you're even better in person."

"Um, thanks," he says awkwardly, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

"And definitely more handsome too," she adds, taking a step closer to him.

He takes a step back, "I really should be going. My girlfriend Anna is expecting my call tonight."

"Oh right," Ashley replies, "I heard you were seeing Anna Kendrick. Is that still going on?"

"Yes, and strong," he answers firmly.

"Must be hard with her so far away all the time," she says sympathetically. "You must really miss her."

"Yes, I do," he agrees.

"I could, you know, help you out with that," she offers.

His eyes widen as he takes in her meaning, "No, definitely not. Look Ashley, I'm flattered, but I'm committed to Anna and I really don't think that it's appropriate for you, my assistant, to be speaking to me this way."

And with that, he leaves, fully intending to ask for a replacement for Ashley as soon as possible. He tells Anna what happened later that night.

"Want me to fly down there and take care of her for you?" she asks.

He laughs, "No, I'm going to have her replaced, but it was just so awkward. I wanted to tell her that we're engaged and she should back off, but I couldn't. Do you think we could announce things soon?"

"If things like that are going to continue to happen if we don't, we definitely should," she replies. "I don't need all these other women trying to get their hooks into my man."

Ashley is replaced with a guy named Rob, and Skylar is relieved. The next few weeks pass by in a blur, and soon it's the night of the premiere. Anna flies in for the weekend, making it just in time to get her hair and makeup done and get dressed. He starts to fasten the chain containing her engagement ring around her neck when she stops him, sliding it off the chain and placing it on her ring finger instead.

"Show time," she says to him with a wink, looking gorgeous in a short black dress and red heels, and they climb into the limo and head to the premiere.

When the limo pulls up to the theater, they get out, and she hides her left hand in his right as they walk down the red carpet. Everyone is shouting their names, eager for the perfect photo of the couple. Other cast members are present, but they are clearly the main attraction. They enter the theater and sit down to the watch the movie. The final product is great. It's very funny, the musical numbers are spot-on, and the romantic scenes with Beca and Jesse are heartwarming and moving. Anna feels the familiar butterflies in her stomach as she watches Jesse kiss Beca on screen and she recalls with perfect clarity how it felt for her in that moment. Everyone applauds after the final scene where Jesse goes after Beca in Los Angeles and the music swells, holding so much promise for the future of the young couple. Skylar squeezes Anna's hand as the credits begin to roll. They stand and make their way to exit the theater and head to the after party. Outside, they separate to sign autographs. Anna is signing a soundtrack album from the first movie when someone comes up behind her and grabs her left hand forcefully, causing her to drop the marker she was using.

"What the hell is this?" an angry Camp demands, holding Anna's hand and pointing at the sparkling ring.

"Don't make a scene," Anna says between clenched teeth, still trying to maintain a happy demeanor. Skylar turns around, and after seeing the altercation, moves to stand beside Anna and removes her hand from Camp's death grip.

"We'll talk about it later," he says calmly, still smiling and grateful for the noise surrounding them.

"I'm assuming it's yours," Camp seethes at Skylar, "What did you wait, all of two seconds to pop the question?"

He doesn't reply, instead wrapping his arm around Anna's waist as he leads her in the direction of the waiting limo. The crowd, seeing his affection for her, starts screaming loudly with excitement. Camp stalks behind them, her biting remarks drowned out by the roar of the public. And in a move that none of them expected and neither one of them planned, he twirls Anna around, dipping her low and pressing a kiss to her lips. Her left hand moves to cup the side of his face, clearly visible to both photographers and reporters. Cameras click wildly all around them.

The volume goes from loud to deafening as the crowd sees the ring and takes in its meaning. Questions like "When's the wedding?" and "How did he pop the question Anna?" are hurtled in their direction, but they just smile politely as he pulls her towards the limo. They slam the door in Camp's face as it drives off in the direction of the after party.

"Nice move!" she says to him, smiling as she reaches for him and kisses him again. "I've missed you, Sky."

"I've missed you too," he replies. "Guess we'll have to deal with Camp in a few."

"Whatever," Anna answers, holding up one of her pointy stiletto heels, "I can take her."

By the time they reach the party, everyone is buzzing about their engagement. Brittany practically tackles them as soon as they get out of the car, and Anna is forced to tell the proposal story about a dozen times to different crowds of people all night long. Fortunately, Camp keeps her distance for the beginning of the party, and even Ben seems happy for them.

At one point, Skylar leaves Anna and heads in the direction of the men's room. "I just don't get," he hears a voice behind him say, "Why her and not me?"

He turns around, and Camp is standing there holding a drink and leaning up against the wall. "We were together for two years, and you never even mentioned marriage. You're with her for a few months and you're already practically married! I just need to know why."

"You and I just weren't meant to be," he replies.

"Oh, don't give me that shit," Camp slurs. "That's so cliché. You and her were 'meant to be'? It's like straight out of some lame assed romantic comedy."

"It's the truth," he says, "We fell in love, it's as simple as that. I couldn't imagine my life without her, so I proposed and she said yes."

"Give me a break," Camp rolls her eyes, tripping slightly over her own feet as she walks towards him. "I know you Skylar. You're a real ladies man. Always the charmer, always going from one woman to the next. So when are you going to get bored with her and dump her like you did me?"

"Never, hopefully," a third voice says, and Camp and Skylar turn to see Anna standing a short distance away from them. "Holy shit, I feel like I'm in the movie Groundhog Day, because we keep having the same conversation over and over again."

Skylar laughs and Camp just glowers at her. "For the last time Camp, Skylar and I are not in this relationship to sabotage you. We fell in love. It just happened. And we want to spend our lives together. You will find the right guy for you, but he isn't Skylar," Anna declares.

"I'm sorry you had to find out about the engagement this way," Skylar says sincerely. "We were going to make an announcement tonight and I was going to pull you aside and tell you privately beforehand."

"But then you had to go and make a scene," Anna finishes for him.

Camp looks sheepish, "Sorry," she mutters. "I guess it's still not easy for me to see you two together and so happy. I can't help wanting it for myself."

"And you'll have it," Skylar tells her, "With someone else. Now if you'll excuse me, I was on my way to the bathroom." He gives Anna a kiss on the cheek and both of them disappear into their respective restrooms. Camp stalks off into the crowd in search of more alcohol.

"Never a dull moment," Skylar muses later as he pulls her onto the dance floor, holding her close as they sway together to the music. "Have I mentioned to you tonight how incredibly sexy you look in that dress?" he whispers in her ear.

"Not as good as you look in that suit," she replies seductively in his ear, his body instantly registering the fact that he hasn't been with her in weeks.

"Let's get out of here," he grits out between clenched teeth, hauling her by the hand through the crowd, out the door, and into a waiting limo. As soon as the door slams shut his mouth is on hers, kissing her hungrily.

"Someone is a little eager," she notes, her tone teasing.

"Oh and what, you're not?" he breathes in her ear, causing her to shiver.

"Yes, but not enough to do it in this limo in full view of Ramon the driver," she replies, breathing hard as he peppers her neck and shoulders with kisses.

"Well, excuse me for not wanting to wait until I get my fiancé home to ravish her," he murmurs into her ear before nibbling on it, her eyes fluttering shut at the sensation.

They continue to tease each other mercilessly for the rest of the drive, so that by the time they arrive at the house, they're practically clawing at each other. He pulls her out of the limo, flinging her over his shoulder as he waves to Ramon, and runs up the driveway and into the house.

And very quickly, the only thing either of them are wearing is that sparkly diamond ring.


	18. Worries

Word of their engagement spreads like wildfire, and soon, their phones are ringing off the hook with people wanting to interview them. Anna's agent calls her with the list of people wanting to talk to her. "They want both of you, you and Skylar together," she clarifies. "Think of it as promotion for the movie."

"People are going crazy over you two," Skylar's agent informs him, "Especially after that kiss at the premiere. That photo is in every major celebrity magazine."

They sit down with the list and decide on a few of the shows, since they can't possibly do them all. "I want to do Conan," Anna tells Skylar, "Because he's sort of the underdog in late night TV, and he's always so nice. And Ellen too, and maybe Good Morning America. What do you think?"

"Yeah, Conan's great," he agrees, "And I'd love to be on Ellen's show. Sure, if we can fit it in, let's do Good Morning America."

She only has a few days before she has to return to Canada for the movie, and those days become jam packed with interviews. All of which require new outfits, makeup, hair, and accessories, and Anna's stylist takes care of both of them. While Conan O'Brien and Robin Roberts keep the interviews pretty straight forward, it's Ellen DeGeneres that asks the questions that everyone wants answered.

They walk out together, hand in hand before walking over to Ellen, who hugs them warmly. The crowd is cheering wildly as they take their seats. "So," she says turning to Anna, "It's a very exciting time for you both, you're recently engaged and you have the much anticipated sequel to Pitch Perfect coming out this week."

"Oh yes," Anna replies, "And Skylar's show Ground Floor is really taking off too."

Skylar squeezes her hand affectionately as Ellen continues, "I have to admit," she says to him, "That when you were with Anna Camp I thought to myself, Jesse and Aubrey? No, that's just wrong. But this, this is a match made in heaven. So how did you two finally end up getting together?"

Skylar looks momentarily embarrassed, but he quickly composes himself and smiles at Ellen before replying, "Well, Anna and I had worked together on the first movie, and we got along great, but the timing just wasn't right for us then. So when we started Pitch Perfect 2, we were already friends but it gave us the opportunity to get to know each other better. And what can I say? We fell in love."

There's a resounding "Awww" from the crowd as Anna continues, "Yes, we found that our on screen chemistry translated off screen as well," she says, raising her eyebrows at the audience. Some people whistle and catcall loudly as Ellen gears up for her next question.

"You two are just both so talented. Skylar, what an amazing singer and performer, and Anna hits the trifecta of singing, acting, and dancing. And you both are just so beautiful! Your children are going to have some crazy good genes. Have you made plans for the wedding yet?"

"We're still talking about it," Anna answers, "Since we just announced the engagement and I'm currently in the middle of a filming project. We want to wait until we both have time to sit down together and really plan things out."

"Ah, that's understandable," Ellen nods, "So I saw Pitch Perfect 2 last night and it was amazing. What was it like filming this time with the same cast?"

Skylar answers that question, but Anna's mind is reeling with thoughts of children running around with his eyes and her hair, and suddenly she feels very anxious. She manages to keep her cool for the rest of the interview, and when they return backstage he looks at her questioningly. "What's wrong?" he asks.

"Nothing," she replies, "I think that went pretty well, don't you?"

"Yeah definitely," he says happily, "This is fun, being here with you."

On the car ride home he rambles on and on about how exciting everything is, and she remains quiet for the most part. She doesn't want to talk about children with him, just yet. And she knows she has more at stake when it comes to the decision, because Skylar could carry on with his career during the pregnancy and newborn stages, whereas she'd have to put everything on hold. She's not sure if she's the type of person who can hire a nanny and leave her child's care up to a stranger. And then she's wondering why she's agonizing over all of this all because of one comment. All she knows is that she needs more time to think about it alone before she wants to discuss it with him.

She heads back to Canada the following day, this time for a two month stretch. Skylar asks her again what's wrong before she leaves, and she tells him she's sad about being away from him for so long, which is also the truth. The whole plane ride there, she thinks about having children. Many of her actress friends have had children and still managed to work afterwards, but it isn't that thought that has her worried. It's whether or not she'd want to return to work after becoming a mother that's upsetting her. She's worked really hard to establish this career trajectory. Should she willingly give it up?

When she arrives in Canada, her schedule is so busy that she barely has more time to think about it. Skylar calls every night and they talk about their days and how much they miss each other, but it's easier for her to hide from him from hundreds of miles away. She's happy for the time alone to really think things through, knowing that when she returns to Los Angeles she'll be ready to sit down and have a serious conversation about all of this. For now, she doesn't want to worry him.

But Skylar is already worried. He noticed a change in Anna since her last weekend home, and he can't put his finger on what happened. He thinks maybe it's the events with Camp that might be bothering her, or perhaps the fact that their engagement went public and she's typically a very private person, but whatever it is, he wishes she'd just talk to him.

It's about a month since he last saw her when one night they're talking on the phone. She's being very quiet, as she has been lately, while he talks about his day on the set of Ground Floor.

"Anna?" he questions when she doesn't comment on what he's just said.

"I'm still here," she replies, "Sorry. I'm just really tired."

"I know, you keep saying that," he says, "But I think there's something bothering you, and for some reason you're not talking to me about it. You know you can tell me anything."

"I know," she answers quietly, "It's really stupid though."

"Just tell me," he whispers, gripping the phone tightly, assuming the worst possible scenario.

"So you know how Ellen made a comment about how our kids would be really talented?" she begins.

"Yeah," he answers.

"So I got to thinking, about our kids that is. And I know it's way too soon to be thinking about it, but I can't help it. I'm just not sure if I'll be willing to give up my career to have a family. And I want to be able to give you everything you want."

"Anna," he says, the relief evident in his tone, "This is what has been bothering you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry too. And it's not even something we have to decide now," she replies. "And it was stupid for me to obsess over it like I've been doing."

"It's not stupid at all," he responds, "You've worked really hard for your career, but what makes you think that you'd have to give it all up just because we had a child?"

"I wouldn't have to," she answers, "I'd want to."

"Oh," he says, finally getting her meaning.

"I can only imagine how much I'd love our child, and I can barely handle being away from you for weeks and months at a time. How would I leave our child?" her voice breaks, and his heart breaks along with it.

"You know some actresses bring their children along with them wherever they go," he suggests.

"So I'd be taking our baby away from you? No, I won't do that," she pauses. "I was going to wait until I got home and talk to you about this in person. And then I thought I could handle things better on my own, but I was wrong."

He hears her sniff into the phone, "Anna? Are you crying?" he asks. He's never seen her cry, ever, and the thought is unnerving.

"No," she practically whimpers, and he wants to go through the phone and comfort her.

"Sweetheart," he says soothingly, "It's going to be ok. We'll figure it out. We're in this together, remember? You don't have to handle anything alone anymore."

"I know, I'm sorry," she sniffles.

"Shh, try to get some sleep, ok baby? I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you," he tells her.

"I love you more," she answers before the line goes silent.

The next day, she wakes with a headache from crying, but she feels a little better still knowing that she talked to him about things. Thankfully, she's not expected on the set until around ten o'clock, which gives her a little more time to get herself together before heading to work. When she arrives, she heads straight to her trailer to change into costume before heading over to hair and makeup. She opens the trailer door and sees a huge vase of flowers sitting on the table, a note perched among the blossoms. She opens the note and reads.

_Good morning my love,_

_I wish I were there to hold you, but since I'm not, I've set up a little scavenger hunt for you. The goal is to make you smile. Is it working yet?_

_So first, get to work. You'll find your next clue somewhere along the way…_

_XO Sky_

She smiles, picking up her phone to text him.

_I love you._

He doesn't reply immediately, so she gets ready for the day. They film a long scene before lunch, and as she heads to the buffet table she spots another note sitting in front of a plate of burritos, one of her favorite foods.

_You'll find your next clue in the place where you can find something I might like to see you in (or out of) once I can get my hands on you again._

She blushes at this one, and is anxious to get to the wardrobe closet for her character as soon as possible. She heads over there at her next break, and finds a note pinned to the sexiest set of black lingerie she's ever seen.

_Put this on for me, and let yourself feel like the amazingly sexy and beautiful woman that I fell in love with almost one year ago. Nobody will know it's under your costume except for me. Your next clue will be in the place where I like to sing the most._

She thinks for a moment, since he likes to sing everywhere, but the car comes to mind. She has to wait until the film wraps for the day before changing back into her clothes and heading back to the hotel. There's another note in her trailer before she leaves.

_Don't even think about taking off that lingerie. It's yours now. Don't worry, I got permission._

She blushes again. She doesn't want to think about what the wardrobe lady thought of Skylar's request that she keep it. She walks to the car, and sitting inside of it on the driver's seat is another note.

"How the hell did he get into the car?" she wonders aloud. She unlocks the door and picks up the note.

_Now go to the place where I wish I were with you right now…the place where you've been falling asleep and dreaming without me for the past month. The place where I wish I were with you now, running my hands down your body, kissing your soft skin…_

Her body flushes yet again, and she thinks how unfair it is of him to turn her on when he's so far away right now. She climbs into the car and drives back to the hotel, eager to see what's on her bed waiting. She's missing him so much her body actually aches to be near him.

She opens her hotel room door and practically runs to the bed. It's covered in red rose petals, and in the middle of the mattress is another note.

_Now you've reached the end of this little adventure, and waiting behind the door is your favorite guilty pleasure. It's the thing you say is only acceptable in the privacy of your own car at midnight. Take a guess what it is? _

_I hope this made you smile. I love you and miss you!_

She runs to the door and flings it open, and there in front of her eyes, is Skylar holding a Taco Bell bag out to her. She throws herself into his arms.

"Oh my god!" she exclaims as she pulls him into the room. "How did you do this? How are you here?"

He smiles widely at her, "I made some calls," he says simply. "You needed me, and so I'm here."

"You mean you've been here all day and you didn't tell me?" she says incredulously.

"Not all day," he replies, "I got here a few hours ago." He kisses her softly on the lips before pulling her into another hug. "I've missed you so much, Anna."

She buries her face in his neck, inhaling his scent as they stand there for a long while, just holding each other. "Hey," he says, pulling back to look at her, "I need you to promise me that the next time something is bothering you, you won't keep it from me. We're a team now, and I'll always be here for you."

"I know," she whispers, "And I know we have plenty of time to talk and make decisions. I just sort of freaked out a little. I mean, I'm so tired of us being apart, and I just don't know how much more I can handle. I think Ellen's comment just pushed me over the edge."

"I know what you mean," he says, "I think we're both a little on edge being apart all the time. But we love each other, and we'll get through this."

She takes his hands in hers, backing into the room and towards the bed. "So," she says, biting her bottom lip, "I've got a little surprise under here waiting for you." She looks down at herself, and he involuntarily licks his lips. He kisses her then, slow and sensuous as she makes work undoing the buttons of his shirt. He pulls off her top, emitting a low growl when he uncovers the black lacy lingerie underneath.

"I have excellent taste," he grins against her lips as he lowers her onto the bed and tugs off her jeans. She's lying there, dressed only in the lingerie and he in his boxers, as she reaches up to cradle his face in her hands.

"Thank you for being here," she whispers, "I love you."

"I love you more," they whisper in unison, before he lowers his mouth back to hers.


	19. Scandals

**A/N: This chapter is rated M. You have been warned.**

Unfortunately, Skylar's visit is short-lived, as he has to be on a plane the next day to head back to Los Angeles. They wake in the morning with her draped across his body and they're both exhausted, having spent most of the previous night making up for lost time. She gives him a long, lingering kiss at the door of her hotel room, tearing up slightly as she bids him farewell.

"Don't cry, love," he tells her, wiping her tears away with his thumbs, "We'll see each other again in a few weeks."

They return back to their hectic schedules, and even though it was Anna who was the emotional one at his departure, it's Skylar who finds himself aching for her. He thought his visit would help him miss her just a little bit less for the last month of her filming, but the image of her in that black lingerie, sprawled out on the bed waiting for him has kept him up many lonely and frustrating nights since he last saw her.

If nothing else, Skylar's visit has only made Anna love him more. She tackles the next week of filming with renewed fervor, having let go of her anxiety and putting more faith in their relationship. The distance between them is difficult, but she figures they probably talk more and have become much closer than most couples because of all the phone conversations they've shared. She's feeling pretty good one night when her cell phone rings.

"Hey you," she answers, seeing that it's Skylar.

"Hey," he replies, his tone a little flat.

"What's going on?" she asks, "You sound a little down."

"I'm just really missing you," he explains, "And I'm still at work. It's been a long day. John has been making everyone laugh during takes all day, and we're not finished. They're working on a scene that I'm not in right now so I thought I'd give you a call to keep myself awake."

"I miss you too," she replies. "Only a few more weeks to go."

"Thank god," he sighs into the phone, "I don't think I'll survive much longer."

"Me neither," she laughs.

"No seriously," he states, "All I do is replay our last night together over and over again in my mind. And then I'm all turned on, and frustrated, and alone, and wanting you so much it hurts. Why do you have to be so damn sexy?"

"I keep thinking about that night too," she says, "And don't blame me, you're the one that picked out that lingerie."

"Yes," his voice drops an octave, "And I'm a genius for it. A genius who enjoys torturing himself, apparently."

"I'll be sure to wear it on my way home," she says, her voice low and sultry.

"You're killing me here," he replies, groaning.

"Sorry, baby," she replies, "I want you too, you know."

"You do?" he asks.

"All. The. Time," she answers.

"Anna," he warns, "I'm still at work here. And it would be inappropriate for me to leave this room now thanks to you."

She laughs, "Sorry," she says, feigning innocence. "You want me to talk about something less sexy?"

"Please," he groans again, and she launches into a discussion about world hunger.

"Not working," he grits out. She starts talking about his relatives then, and that relaxes him finally. "You are an evil, evil woman," he tells her, but his tone is teasing.

"Hey!" she exclaims, "You're not the only one who's hard-up right now!"

She hears a clunking sound as he drops the phone, and she's laughing when he picks it up again. "Oh, you'll pay for this," he says, "When you least expect it."

"Looking forward to it," she replies, before hanging up with him.

Over the remainder of their month apart, the teasing continues. He leaves her detailed voicemails describing what he would be doing to her if they were together. She texts him a photo of her in the lingerie with a caption that reads: _If anyone besides you sees this, I'll kill you._

And he replies,_ "It's already my cell phone background."_

She calls him and continues to tease him while he's at work, and he sends her a photo of him dressed in a suit and tie minus a shirt that has her practically drooling.

He's at work the day he knows she's flying home, and he can barely concentrate on anything. He's so anxious to see her. She arrives at the house and carefully changes into a new set of lingerie and perches on the sofa, waiting for him to get home. When she hears his key in the lock, she crosses her legs and leans forward, giving him a full view of her cleavage. His bag hits the floor with a resounding thud as soon as he lays eyes on her.

"Anna," he breathes as she stands and he crosses the room in seconds, kissing her with such force it nearly knocks her off her feet. She's practically tearing at his clothes in her haste to remove them, and she quickly takes off his shirt and pants, leaving him only in his boxers. His lips are hot on her skin as he kisses his way down her jaw and neck, and buries his face between her breasts while lowering her on the sofa. She wraps her legs around his waist, digging her heels into his backside and trying to anchor him to her. Her back arches off the sofa as his lips trail kisses along her stomach on the edge of her panties, and she opens her eyes to fist her hands in his hair. Just then, she sees a flash of light.

"Sky," she says, and he stops his ministrations to look up at her, "Let's move this upstairs."

She keeps her legs wrapped around him as he picks her up and carries her up the steps, their lips moving in synchronization as he lowers her to the bed. He unclasps her bra with one hand, letting it fall to the floor before placing her on the bed. He steps out of his boxers and deftly removes her panties before climbing on top of her. He pauses just to gaze upon her, admiring her beauty as he lovingly strokes the side of her face with his palm.

"I love you, Anna," he whispers reverently before returning his mouth to hers. They make love frantically, their month of pent up tension and teasing taking its toll on their resolve. It is only a matter of minutes before she's panting his name, desperate for release. And later, they take their time relearning each other's bodies, paying attention to every sigh, every gasp, and every breath the other takes. They whisper words of love and adoration before falling asleep, sated and content to finally be in each other's arms again.

The next morning they wake insanely early to the sound of cell phones, home phones, as every piece of technology in the house seems to come to life.

"What the hell?" Anna grumbles, picking up her phone from the bedside table just as Skylar reaches for his. It's her agent.

"Anna?" her agent sounds frantic.

"There better be a good reason for you calling me this early," Anna yawns.

"Oh, there is. A photo of you and Skylar is going viral. I don't know who took it or when, but it's all over the internet. We're going to need to do some damage control. I'm sending you the photo now."

Anna's phone buzzes with an incoming text, and she looks down to see the picture her agent sent. To her absolute horror, it's a photo of her and Skylar from last night in the living room, clearly showing them in their underwear on the couch with her writhing underneath him. Then she receives another photo of him carrying her upstairs, her legs wrapped around him. Thankfully, they are both partially clothed and you can't really see anything. Anna starts to hyperventilate.

Skylar must be receiving a similar call from his agent, because he's started pacing around the room, shooting her desperate glances. "I'm going to need to call you back," they both say to their agents, before hanging up and looking at each other.

"The curtains must've been open," Anna groans, covering her face with her hands. "I swore I saw a flash last night."

"Who would have taken this?" he asks, exasperated, "Someone had to have come right up to the window to get this clear of a shot. That's trespassing, Anna."

"I know, I know," she stands, pacing the length of the room along with him. "Well, it's out there now, so we will just have to wait for it to blow over. It's not like it's scandalous or anything. We're engaged and we live together."

"Yeah," he agrees, "Plus, we look hot."

She laughs, shaking her head at him as she studies the pictures again. "You're right, we kind of do."

"Damn straight," he winks at her. They sit down together to see where the picture has appeared online already. Their agents are right, it does seem to be everywhere, but thankfully the caption reads something like "Hollywood's Hottest Couple" or "Pitch Perfectly in Love". It definitely could have been worse.

"Good thing we have a second story bedroom," Anna comments.

"Good thing they didn't have a video camera," Skylar adds, "Although the footage might get me through some lonely months without you."

She smacks him playfully in the arm before dialing her agent back. They talk and decide not to make any statements about the photo considering it seems to have been received positively by the public.

"Maybe we should put up a fence," Skylar suggests later that day.

"Around the front yard?" she asks. "I think we should just be more careful about fully closing the curtains in the future."

"Yeah, but I don't like the idea of a stranger coming up to the house like that and invading our privacy. It's bad enough that our privacy is invaded everywhere else, but this is our home, the one place we can feel safe," he replies.

And sure enough, because of the photo the paparazzi are camped outside of their house for the next week. Anna and Skylar keep the curtains and blinds tightly closed, and have to deal with reporters swarming their cars whenever they try to leave. They file several complaints with the police department, who occasionally patrolled and told the small gathering crowd to leave.

Anna begins opening the living room curtains again during the day to let in some light, and they start to feel a little more relaxed as each day passes. One night they are sitting on the sofa, her curled into his side, watching a movie when he catches sight of something outside from the corner of his eye. He stands abruptly and walks over the window, peering out into the darkness.

"What is it?" Anna asks, moving to stand beside him.

"I thought I saw something, or someone, watching us," he says, drawing the curtains closed tightly. They snuggle back on the couch again, but he's feeling edgy and restless.

"It's ok," she soothes, "The curtains are closed and the doors are all locked. We're safe."

She starts tracing patterns with her fingers on his chest, enjoying the feel of his muscles through his thin t-shirt. He sighs contentedly at her touch.

"I just want to live the kind of life where I can make love to you whenever I want, and wherever I want," he whispers huskily as she fists her hands in his shirt, pulling his lips to hers. The movie is quickly forgotten as the kiss grows in intensity.

"You do have that life," she moans into his ear as he picks her up, heading in the direction of the stairs when she breathes into his ear, "Kitchen."

He laughs, kissing her soundly once more as he carries her into the kitchen, placing her on the table. "I love you Anna Kendrick," he tells her as she leans backwards, the cool surface of the table making her gasp as he hovers over her.

And they make love right there on the kitchen table, their anxiety over being watched only fueling their passion for each other. She's sprawled out on the table, trying to catch her breath as he collapses next to her, the table creaking under their combined weight.

"That was…" she says, breathing hard.

"Amazing. Epic. Hot," he finishes for her, standing and pulling her up next to him. He throws on his boxers and hands her his shirt when again he thinks he sees something outside. He quickly moves to the back door, where they have sheers up covering the window. He catches a flash of something blonde and quickly unlocks the door and flings it open.

Anna walks over to him and he says over his shoulder, "Get behind me, I don't know who is out there."

Anna stays in the house as he flicks on the backyard lights and steps outside, looking all around the yard. And there, crouching in the bushes is Camp.

"What the fuck Camp!" he exclaims, pulling her out of the shrubs and into full view of Anna. "I could have you arrested for this!"

Camp is red in the face, looking extremely embarrassed as she stands there, not looking at either of them.

"You better have a good explanation for why you're trespassing in our yard in the middle of the night!" Anna demands.

"Was it you who took that other photo?" Skylar shouts at her, and Anna has never seen him this angry before.

"I was trying to get you back for ruining my life!" Camp finally yells. "I was married before I met you. And then this whore came and took you away from me!" She points at Anna.

"Hey! Watch it!" Skylar warns. "I did not ruin your life. You ended your own marriage. You said it was over before I even met you!"

"She _is_ a whore! Every time I see you it's like watching a porno. It's like nonstop with you two!" Camp declares.

"_Every_ time?" Anna is seething, "So how often would you say you're on_ our_ property, looking through _our_ windows?"

"I have two words for you," Skylar says to Camp, "Restraining order. I don't_ ever_ want to see you again. Don't come near either one of us, or I'll have you arrested. I'm giving you one minute to get off this property or I'm calling the police now."

Camp runs off into the darkness, and Anna turns to Skylar. "Holy shit," she says.

"Yeah," he replies. "Who knew my ex would turn into such a psycho."

"You just drive women crazy," she teases him, as he pulls her into a hug. "It was kind of you, not calling the cops. It would have been all over the news."

But as it turns out, it is all over the news the next morning. Apparently a remaining paparazzi captured an image of Camp peering into their windows that night, and it was all over the news and the internet. The captions read things like "Anna Camp stalks ex-boyfriend" and "The Real Anna Camp or Sarah Newlin?"

"Looks like she ruined her own career and life simultaneously," Skylar points out as they shake their heads at the headlines in disbelief.

Maybe a restraining order won't be necessary after all.


	20. Arguments

With the holiday season approaching again, they both have some time off to spend together. Anna is set to work on a movie in the spring, but she doesn't have a major part and won't be required to be away for as long as usual. It seems like finally they will be able to start planning their wedding. They first have to decide on a location. They either want to do New York or Portland, because that's where their families are located. Eventually, it's Skylar that convinces Anna to choose Portland, telling her it will be more private. He wants their wedding to be as conventional as any other couple's might be.

Summers in Maine are lovely, but the winters can be brutally cold. "Do you think this coming summer is too soon?" she asks him. "I don't currently have anything scheduled, and Ground Floor is on summer hiatus. We could even take a long honeymoon."

"That sounds perfect," he replies, "If you think we'll have enough time to arrange everything."

Anna calls her mother, who is thrilled at the prospect of having the wedding at home. "When you come for Christmas," Janice says, "We'll look at different venues. I have the perfect one in mind, but you and Skylar will have to see if it will work for you. Are you planning on having a big wedding?"

"I don't know," Anna replies, "I mean we both know a lot of people because of what we do, but I am thinking that maybe only our closest friends and families should be there."

"I'm just concerned about privacy and security," Janice tells her, "Because you two are so popular right now. We'll have to keep this whole thing top secret, and everyone involved will have to agree to it too. I don't want reporters and crazy people ruining your special day. If you want, I can do most of the arrangements for you, to make it easier."

"Thanks mom," Anna breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that her mother is fully on board with the preparations.

Meryl is also excited, and asks for Janice's phone number so that they can plan things together as well. Brielle calls Skylar at least once a week, nagging him about which celebrities will be invited and asking if she can sit with them at the reception. And Skylar's brothers argue over which one of them will get to be the best man.

Eventually, she and Skylar sit down and write a guest list, keeping it under two hundred people. They figure that some won't be able to attend, being that their celebrity friends all have crazy schedules similar to theirs.

Once dress designers heard of their engagement, she had received many calls from several different ones who offered to make her a custom gown. She plans on taking one of them up on their offer, and starts doing research to see which style she prefers. It's a happy time for the couple, who are finally able to spend consecutive time together for the first time since filming Pitch Perfect 2.

They spend the holidays with their families just like the previous year, only this time they return to Los Angeles for New Year's. In Portland, they find a beautiful estate called French's Point, with a gazebo that they can get married under in full view of the ocean. It's absolutely breathtaking, and Anna and Skylar immediately fall in love with it. There is a wedding coordinator on site as well, who agrees to help them plan the whole event with the utmost confidentiality. They return home with the date set, and some of the arrangements already in place.

Rebel is holding a New Year's party at a hip downtown club, and she invites them. They check beforehand, but Camp hasn't been invited, so they feel safe going. Many of the Pitch Perfect cast is in attendance, and it is great to see everyone again. Skylar was amazed at the number of invitations that he and Anna received for New Year's parties this year, including one from Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudekis, one from Aubrey Plaza, and one from Tom Hanks.

Anna looks stunning as they leave for the party, and Skylar is sure to tell her how attractive she is in her short blue dress and silver heels on the car ride to the club. Once they arrive, they quickly mingle in with Ben, Brittany, Alexis, Utkarsh, Adam, and Hana Mae. Briga is also in attendance, and runs over to greet Skylar and Anna as soon as she spots them in the crowd.

Rebel puts on a great party, and there's dancing, great food, and plenty of alcohol in supply. Skylar is relieved that Ben seems to have gotten over his crush on Anna, and he is back to his old self again.

"Hey! Movie wife!" a male voice calls from across the room, and they turn to see Jake Gyllenhaal coming towards Anna. He sets his drink down and pulls her into a hug, his hands low on her hips. They pull apart and Anna turns to Skylar.

"Jake, this is Skylar, my fiancé," she introduces the two men.

Jake shakes Skylar's hand, "You are one lucky son of a bitch," Jake acknowledges him, before picking Anna up and twirling her around. "Damn girl, you are looking fine tonight. I should have married you for real when I had the chance!"

"I think you're drunk," she teases him as he sets her back down again.

"We could've been so hot together," he says, slurring his words a little as he winks at her. She notices that Skylar has clenched his hands into fists, and she takes a step towards her fiancé, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Don't worry," she tells Jake, "We've got the hotness covered."

"Damn straight," Adam says, joining in on the conversation. "Did you see that photo of them a few weeks back? I photo shopped Skylar out completely and Anna's underwear too. Daaaamn."

"Are you channeling Bumper or something?" Skylar grits out between his teeth.

"Kidding, kidding," Adam holds up his hands in mock surrender before turning to walk away.

Jake has taken this opportunity to start talking with Anna, and Skylar stands there awkwardly for a moment before a pair of hands covers his eyes from behind. He removes them, turning around to see Briga standing there. "Hey hot stuff," she says, "Having a fun night?"

He glances over at Anna and Jake who are in the middle of a rather animated conversation, "Eh, yeah sure," he replies half-heartedly.

"Wanna dance?" she suggests. He looks again at Anna, and she doesn't even seem to notice him, so he nods in agreement. She leads them out to the dance floor, where Rebel is doing some wild dance moves in the middle of the crowd. Alexis comes up to them and gives Briga a hug, dancing with them a little while before disappearing back into the party. After two songs, Anna realizes that Skylar is no longer standing near her and starts scanning the room in search of him. She spots him with Briga and leaves Jake mid-sentence, marching purposefully in Skylar's direction. She taps Briga on the shoulder and declares, "I'm cutting in," before stepping between her and Skylar.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Skylar says sarcastically, "Did I interrupt your conversation with your movie husband over there?"

"I haven't seen him in a long time," she explains, "We had some catching up to do. I didn't know you were just going to disappear on me."

"What was I supposed to do, just stand there foolishly next to you like your obedient pet dog? Sorry, this is a party. It's supposed to be _fun_," he snaps back at her, clearly angry.

Even though the music is loud, they are shouting at each other, and a few nearby party guests start staring at them in interest.

"Oh so what, I have to give you all of my undivided attention for you to have fun now? That's not how this is supposed to work!" she exclaims.

"Right, because you're some sort of expert, having been married before _in the movies_," he doesn't even know why he's so angry with her, he just is.

"You know what!" she shouts back, "I can't even talk to you when you're like this. I hope you have a great night dancing with Briga!"

"I will!" he shouts to her retreating form as she shoves her way through the crowd. She goes to stand by the bar and is quickly rejoined by Jake and Ben, and he continues dancing. He's a good dancer, so plenty of random girls move in to dance with him as soon as Anna is out of sight. She tries to talk more to Jake and a few other friends, but she can't focus on anything. Every now and then, they steal a glance at each other before quickly looking away. He hates that she seems to be so easily talking to the crowd of guys that has formed around her, and she hates that so many women are interested in dancing with him.

On one of her quick glances, she sees a woman run her hand down Skylar's bicep, and she can't take it anymore. She walks back over to him, shoves the woman out of the way, and crashes her lips into his. He's so surprised that she knocks the wind out of him, and he gasps as her hands wrap around his head, anchoring his lips to hers. He picks her up, and she folds her legs around his waist, her very short dress hiking up in the back. Their tongues tangle, fighting for dominance, and they forget that they're standing in the middle of a dance floor with hundreds of people watching them. That is, until the cheering starts.

"Told you they were hot!" Adam exclaims, looking pointedly at Jake as Skylar releases her mouth, leaning his forehead against hers and panting for oxygen.

"Sorry, he's mine," Anna says over her shoulder at the still shocked woman who was groping him only moments ago. "Right?" she asks Skylar.

"I'm yours," he declares immediately, still holding her, his fingers dangerously tracing over the hem of her skirt. "Totally yours," he adds, moving his mouth to her neck.

She releases the vise grip her legs have on his waist, slides down the front of his body, and gives him a quick peck on the lips before turning on her heels to leave. He's standing there slack-jawed as she makes no move to pull down her skirt as she walks away, purposefully swaying her hips.

"Dude!" Adam shouts at Skylar, "Either you run after her, or I will!"

Skylar sprints after her, catching up to her as she nearly reaches the door to the bathroom. He pulls her inside and turns her around, pushing her back against the door with his body as he looks intently at her.

"You are in so much trouble," he tells her, his eyes dark but his voice teasing.

"Oh, am I?" she replies playfully, batting her eyelashes at him.

He leans in even closer, "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" He pushes his hips into hers.

"I have a feeling," she smirks with raised eyebrows.

"I'm still mad at you," he says, his teeth nipping at her earlobe in punishment.

"I'm sorry," she replies, breathless from his ministrations, "What can I do to make it up to you?"

He looks at her then, a gleam of mischief in his eyes as he scans down her body. Her dress is wrinkled and still riding up her thighs, her hair is mussed from their intense make out session, and she looks sexy as hell. "I can think of many things that would not be appropriate for our current location," he finally replies, licking his lips suggestively.

"Well then let's get out of here," she says, tugging on his shirt.

"But it isn't even midnight yet," he protests half-heartedly.

She turns them around so that now it's him who's pinned to the door with her body. She rolls her hips against his and he groans. "Ok, right. Who cares?" he says, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her out of the club. The few people who see them running out yell after them, but neither of them notices. He presses her against the door of his car, kissing her passionately before opening the door for her. And she teases him the whole drive home, her fingers gliding along the inseam of his pants. "I'm going to have an accident and kill us both if you don't stop that," he warns her.

"I hate that guys hit on you all the time," he says.

"I hate that girls hit on you all the time," she echoes.

"It's not my fault that I'm charming and irresistible," he replies teasingly.

"It's not _my_ fault that I'm charming and irresistible, either," she repeats, smiling at him.

"But seriously," he says, "Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Manganiello? You know there were a ton of rumors going around that you dated them because people noticed the chemistry you have with them. I don't like it."

"I don't like that you dated Camp. That I know for a fact that you slept with her. That it was like your relationship threw up all over Twitter on a daily basis," she tells him.

"Meaning what?" he says, his voice tense.

"Meaning that you were constantly tweeting each other, and going on and on in interviews about how perfect the other was, and it made me sick. It made everyone sick," she adds.

"Oh what? So you're better than me because your relationship with Edgar was so private that almost no one knew about it? It was almost like you were ashamed of him or something," he snaps. He's gone too far, and he knows it when she doesn't say anything for a long while.

"You don't know anything about Edgar. Don't bring him into this," she warns.

"Of course I don't know anything about him, you _never _talk about him. And I know that he changed you. You were single for a long while after him, and didn't have a relationship with anyone until me. And it isn't because guys weren't interested in you, Anna," he points out.

"I hate that you were with Camp that way," she says quietly. "And I know you hate that I was with Edgar that way too. And I know I don't talk about him. There just isn't much to say. I was really young, and he was famous. He was the first guy that I met who really got me, my unusual sense of humor, my outlook on life, and we just seemed to fit. And then one day we didn't fit anymore. And it hurt me, it really hurt. And since then I've kind of been afraid to love, until you. You're different. We connect in a way I never thought was possible."

"I know," he replies. "Like how we always start singing along to a song on the radio at exactly the same time?"

"Or how we manage to get busy signals on our cell phones because we call each other at the same moment?" she adds.

"Or how we can just look at each other and communicate without ever having to say a word?" he says.

"Or how when we're together, it's electric, like every part of me is completely in tune with you," she states.

"Or how no matter how much time we spend together, I can never seem to get enough of you," he adds, his voice dropping an octave.

They pull into their driveway just then, and he drives the car into the garage, closing the door behind them. The house is dark and he takes her by the hand, leading her through the darkness to the stairs. They enter their bedroom, and she stands in front of him, looking up at him expectantly.

"I never get enough," he whispers, before crashing his lips into hers. Their clothing is quickly shed, and their tongues tangle as his body covers hers, her back making contact with the cool bed sheets as he hovers over her.

"I'm sorry," she breathes into his mouth.

"I'm sorry too," he whispers against the curve of her neck as he begins kissing down her body.

They don't like fighting, but they love making up.

**A/N: Stay tuned for the wedding…**


	21. Vows

The next few months pass by in a blur, and Skylar and Anna fall into an unspoken rhythm with each other. They are busy planning the wedding, and working, and spending time with family and friends. They make several trips to Maine to finalize details with Janice and the wedding planner at French's Point.

Anna keeps her acting schedule light in the months leading up to the wedding. She is busy with dress fittings, phone calls, seating charts, and other wedding arrangements, and she wants to spend as much time with Skylar before the big day. The wedding is set for June with a honeymoon in Saint Lucia afterwards. Their hotel has private beach suites with their own private pools and beaches, and she books it under a false name to make sure nobody knows.

Since she's Christian and he's Jewish, they opt for a non-denominational ceremony where they'll write their own vows to each other. The venue has an officiant on site who will actually perform the ceremony. As the day nears, both Skylar and Anna are nervous with anticipation. The guest list has been finalized, and the invitations have gone out to their guests with specific instructions to keep all details of the wedding under wraps.

One night they are sitting together on the sofa watching television when Anna's cell phone rings. She looks at the identity of the caller before standing and walking into the kitchen to answer it. Skylar doesn't pay much attention to what she's saying, since he figures the caller is probably just her mother. When Anna returns almost twenty minutes later, her expression pale, he looks up expectantly at her. "What's the matter?" he asks.

"That was Edgar," she replies quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What?" he says in shock.

"He heard that we were getting married, and he wants to come to the wedding. He said something about needing to see me marry someone else so that he could know that it really happened. Something about closure," she trails off.

"Send him photos if he wants proof," Skylar interjects.

"He asked me if I still considered him a friend, and I said yes. I mean, we have been friends all along. I just haven't been talking to him," she says.

"I know. You guys were always tweeting stuff back and forth that I never understood. And I think it's cool that you were able to stay friends with him. But honestly, I don't want someone you've slept with to be at our wedding," he replies.

"You have no reason to be jealous of him," she states.

"Yes, I do. You guys connect on a different level. Your personalities, your humor, align in a way that I don't always understand. And believe me, I think he's a cool guy, but you were with him for four years, Anna," he counters. "Would you want Camp at our wedding?"

"God, no," she answers, "But Edgar isn't crazy. I think he just wants to be there to support me, to see me happy."

Skylar sighs heavily. "Look, I don't want to fight about this. I don't want him there. It's my opinion that our exes shouldn't be part of a day that is supposed to be only about us. But, if it will make you happier to have him there, then invite him." And with that, he stands and heads upstairs.

She waits a while, just sitting and staring at the television absently before she finally switches it off and follows him upstairs. He's already in bed, facing away from her side of the bed when she enters. She climbs in behind him.

"I want to do what makes _us _happy," she says in the darkness. "We've gone through so much already just to be together, and I don't care about what Edgar wants or needs. I only care about you." She runs her fingers through his hair, and he turns over to face her.

"Well that works out great, because I only care about you," he replies.

She wraps her arms around him, pressing her body into his. "I can't wait to marry you," she whispers into his skin as she snuggles closer.

In only a few weeks' time, they're boarding the plane to Maine for the long wedding weekend. Anna is set to stay at her parents' house while Skylar has a hotel suite booked near French's Point where they'll spend their wedding night together before heading on their honeymoon. Skylar's family and many of the other wedding guests will be staying in the same hotel as well. They are keeping up the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding, and sleep in separate places the night before. Anna will get ready at her childhood home, and Skylar will dress in the hotel.

The ceremony is in the afternoon and will be followed immediately by the reception. When Skylar arrives at French's Point, many of their guests are already there and waiting. The view is spectacular, and flowers line the aisle leading to the gazebo where the officiant stands waiting. Skylar goes to stand under the gazebo, his brothers by his side. The doors to the manor open as the music begins, and his sister Brielle begins the long walk to the gazebo. She's followed by a childhood friend of Anna's. The crowd stands as the music changes and Anna comes into view, her arm linked with her father's as she approaches Skylar.

He's never seen her look so beautiful. She absolutely takes his breath away, and their eyes remain fixed on each other until she's standing right in front of him. William Kendrick places her hand in Skylar's, and then takes his seat.

The officiant starts talking, saying words that they've selected for this very moment, but Anna isn't listening to a word he says. Her eyes are locked with Skylar's as she gazes at him, trying to memorize everything about the way that he looks right now. She gives his hands a squeeze, and he runs his thumbs along her knuckles in response.

"And now it is time for Skylar and Anna to proclaim their love for each other in vows that they have prepared for this special occasion," the officiant says before turning to Skylar.

"Anna," Skylar begins, his voice shaking slightly, "When I first met you I knew you were the most beautiful, talented, and remarkable woman I'd ever met in my life, a fact that still holds true to this day. You're so passionate, and humble, and kind. You make me laugh every single day with your quick wit and your ability to light up any room you enter. But none of these things are the reason I fell in love with you. We connect in a way I can't explain, and you fill in all the places in my heart and soul that I didn't know were empty before I met you. I love you with everything that I have, and everything that I am. And I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me."

Tears are welling in the corners of her eyes as she begins, "Skylar, all my life I have felt just a little different from everyone else, always just out of step from the rest of the crowd. It was why I went into acting, so I could express myself and not be judged for it. And then I met you, and you were so confident and comfortable in your own skin. I mean, not that I blame you, because with a voice and a face as handsome as that, who wouldn't be confident?" The guests laugh at this. "Being around you makes me better. I have never connected with anyone the way that I do with you, and this chemistry we have, this innate way that we are together, has been as natural to me as breathing. I can't imagine my life without you, and I don't want to. I love you more than I ever thought was possible and I can't wait to start the rest of our lives together as husband and wife."

They say their "I do's" and slide the wedding bands onto their ring fingers. "I now present to you for the first time," the officiant says, "Mr. Skylar Astin Lipstein and Mrs. Anna Kendrick Lipstein!"

The crowd erupts into applause as Skylar presses his lips firmly to Anna's, kissing her for a long while as their guests cheer. He takes her hand and leads her back down the aisle in the direction of the manor. "I didn't know you had decided to use Lipstein," he says to her as their wedding guests file out of their seats behind them.

"It's your last name," she says simply, "And I figured that since neither of us uses it professionally, it could just be a nice, legal way of letting everyone know that I'm yours."

"You mean marrying me wasn't enough?" he jokes, but he's smiling. "Thank you, my gorgeous wife," he adds, kissing her again.

"You're looking incredible tonight too," she tells him, deepening the kiss.

Someone clears their throat, and she breaks the kiss. "Later," he whispers with promise into her ear and she suppresses a shiver. They begin greeting wedding guests as they enter the reception area and find their tables. He doesn't leave her side the entire evening as they make their way from table to table talking with guests, as they eat the delicious dinner that's served, or as they take to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife.

"I'm afraid if I let go of you, someone might try and steal you away," he tells her as they dance together.

She holds up her left hand, "I think you're stuck with me now," she replies, their rings sparkling in the dim lighting.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he whispers, kissing her as they sway together to the music. His hand tangles in her soft curls as hers cups his jaw and they get momentarily lost in each other.

"Later," she whispers in his ear, breaking the kiss as Brielle and a bunch of her girlfriends pull her into the center of the dance floor for a fast-paced song. He watches her for a moment before turning to retrieve his drink. He feels a hand on his shoulder, and turns to find Ben standing there. His friend pulls him into a hug, clapping him affectionately on the back.

"Congratulations, man," Ben tells Skylar, "I'm really happy for you both."

"Thanks Ben," Skylar replies, "That means a lot to me."

"Look at her," Ben comments, sipping his drink as the pair of men gaze across the room at Anna. "She's radiant. You're the luckiest man on earth. I hope you know that."

"I do," Skylar replies wistfully, giving his friend's shoulder a squeeze.

"I still have no idea how you landed her," Skylar's brother Milan says, coming up from behind.

"Me neither," Skylar laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. And in that moment, it's as if Anna can sense his stare, because she finds him in the crowd and flashes him a brilliant smile.

Milan elbows him in the ribs, and Ben sighs audibly. "Sorry fellows, she's off the market permanently," Skylar grins at them, pointing at his wedding band.

Milan shoves him in the direction of his bride. "Go get her," he orders, and Skylar happily complies.

He cuts into the center of the pack of girls, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulls her close.

"Miss me?" she teases him.

"Well, I tried to give you a little break from me, but I couldn't stay away," he teases back. "But seriously Anna, you take my breath away. I can't take my eyes off you."

She blushes a beautiful shade of pink and he picks her up off the floor, twirling her around before setting her down again. The night passes far too quickly, and before they know it, guests are beginning to leave and bid their farewells. Anna and Skylar graciously thank everyone for coming, until it's only their parents and siblings left. Their brothers hug them, all making inappropriate comments about "taking advantage of the honeymoon suite" they've booked. Brielle tells Anna she's so thrilled to finally have a sister. Their mothers hold back tears as they congratulate them. And their fathers look proudly upon them, giving them one-liner advice about the future. And finally, it's time for the newlyweds to make their way to the hotel suite they've reserved just for tonight.

The bedroom has been decorated by the hotel staff, and there are fragrant white rose petals strewn all over the place. The couple is exhausted as Anna happily kicks off her high heels and perches on the edge of the mattress. He loosens his tie and pulls his shoes off as well before moving to sit beside her. He reaches up to remove the pins holding her veil in place.

"Thank you for a perfect day," he says quietly.

"It really was perfect," she agrees, turning to face him. "I love you, Skylar."

"I love you too, Mrs. Lipstein," he smiles, brushing her hair from her shoulders as he removes her necklace and earrings while her hands unknot his tie and begin working on the buttons of his shirt. Their actions are slow and deliberate as they undress each other, her wedding gown pooling at her feet before she bends to pick it up and drape it carefully over a chair before turning around to face him. He's dressed only in a pair of black boxers and she's in her white lacy bra and panties as they take a step towards each other, closing the gap between them as he captures her lips with his in a searing kiss. He backs her up until her knees hit the bed, and then he scoops her up, placing her carefully on the mattress amidst the rose petals before climbing in next to her. He traces his fingers reverently down her body, whispering, "My bride, my wife," into her ear before kissing her with all the passion he has for her. Their remaining clothes are quickly shed.

"My love, my husband," she whispers back, and as they make love that night, they're both the happiest they've ever been in their lives.

And the best is yet to come.

**A/N: I'm not much of a detail-oriented person, so I'll leave the specifics of the wedding up to your imagination. I couldn't even begin to describe what Anna might wear at her wedding, only that I know she'll be stunning. The venue is a real place if you want to look it up online, it's absolutely breathtaking. I hope I did the wedding justice. Let me know what you think!**


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